


Zootopia and Earth: Gotterdammerung

by Pudong



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-05-02 02:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14534373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pudong/pseuds/Pudong
Summary: When a covert bureau of the Zootopian Government finds itself in contact with an unworldly entity known as "the humans", wicked intentions among those hungry for power arise. But as things slowly fall apart, will the consequences be too much for Zootopia to bear? Before long, Nick and Judy are caught up in the crossfire, but how far are they willing to go to protect the city they love?





	1. The World At Stake

Chapter 1: The World at Stake

45 years before the Movie 

Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2017   
Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 1971

Location: Highway Zoot 01, suburb 200 miles away from Zootopia. 

Time: 3:25 am

 

The heavy rain scratched against the column of limousines as they raced against time, their tyres screeching along the deserted highway, the only illumination emanating from the terrifyingly bright headlamps, lighting up the otherwise silent and deep dark moor more than 200 miles away from Zootopia. From a distance the convoy would seem as if they were a train of ghosts, an apparition of ghostly and unearthly lights dancing in the darkness for a split moment before disappearing once again. But such was not the case. The limousines knew well where they were going. 

The wind howled and screeched at the unwelcome visitors, the line of 3 limousines and heavily-armed police escorts as they continued on their way, the night-black rain splattering all across the windshield, the wipers practically useless in defense against this terrible weather. Perhaps they were a premonition from God, prophesying accurately what exactly was coming next. It wasn’t going to be nice. Inside the lead limousine, the bull crossed his legs and stared out of the window, the lonely moor drastically different from his comfy, heated apartment. He was by far the most important mammal the city had ever seen, worshipped and respected throughout the city. The extra-thick windows, the reinforced steel car doors testified to this. But his world was at stake. Soon their only enemies might be from within. 

The prominent visitor checked his watch, the hundredth time he had done so in the previous 30-minutes trip. He had specially ordered for the express highway reserved for them, the very reason why the convoy was speeding well beyond the highway limit. There was nobody to apprehend the most powerful mammal on the planet. The face of the wristwatch showed it was Three Thirty in the early morning, supposedly the time when death decided to strike at its strongest. The darkest hour. The mayor smiled at this little thought, before banishing it to the depths of his mind soon to be forgotten. He had more things to concentrate on. 

The driver who manned the wheel, a well-dressed panther donning a chauffeur's cap, whispered something into his mouthpiece and announced something over his shoulder to the important animal. Normally such rudeness against the Leader was intolerable, but road conditions made a special exemption. 

“5 minutes to the launch zone, sir.” 

The mayor nodded and checked his watch for the final time. It was 3:35 am. They still had a few hours before sunrise. When the project he had been working on for more than 2 decades would be forced to be delayed once more, further endangering their world over again. The bull trembled silently, his mighty figure quavering inside his heart. It might be their only chance to succeed, to prove to his city that there was still hope. 

The vehicles skidded to a halt outside a gate, the chain-linked fence appearing out of nowhere, the mechanism already rusted from a few decades of use. The mayor hoped it might be his last time entering the facility, the final success which would make his people forget his previous failures. He had failed too many. It was time for his redemption. The electric gate opened, the sentry outside whispering a command to his central command hidden far away in the facility, the destination of the weary convoy. 

The narrow twisty road snaked down the slope, almost hidden to but a few. The vehicles bumped and jolted as they passed the long-since maintained track. The driver accelerated. His passenger would not be happy. The limousines continued on their way, spraying up water gathered along the roadsides from under their wheels until their brakes hissed angrily, announcing the final stop of the company. The bright lights shone brightly everywhere, banishing the darkness as if giving the mayor a false impression of daytime. The facility was huge, as if popping out of the ground in the middle of a moor, its original purpose of expanding the city long since forgotten. Huge smokestacks belching out smoke stood so tall that they nearly scratched the sky, and jeeps, cruisers and officers ran around frantically, doing their best to receive the visitor. 

The mayor stood out of his vehicle, the drizzling of the rain a consistent music to the cacophony of the institute. A ZCID officer rushed over, the umbrella held high over the mayor’s head. The bull nodded at the officer, who politely handed him a towel to dry himself off with. 

“The politeness isn’t going to last any longer it this fails,” he thought gloomily to himself. 

He and the others on his team were ushered into the building, a gigantic mixture of concrete, steel and glass. A sofa was brought out and he gladly planted his body on it, excited to be out of the cold and the rain for a moment, missing the coziness of his distant office. Warm cups of coffee were distributed, and the Bull took a little sip of his as the scientific nerds, as he called them, prepared the final preparations for the presentation. It’d better be interesting. Nothing on earth was going to delay his speculation of the final demonstration, the very last lifeline to his control and power. 

A petite armadillo with a hunched back, nearing 50 years of age hobbled onto the platform, and turned on his mike. The other scientists smoothened their white lab suits tensely, combing their fur whilst exchanging nervous glances at the sudden visitor. They all knew the facility, let alone the demonstration, was far from completed. 

The armadillo patted his mike almost comically, asking for silence amongst the crowd. The bull lay back, and tried to relax. Unlike the research team, he had every confidence in his mixmatch of scientists from all over the region, the finest brains one could find in the Metropolis and beyond. The government officials simmered down, their eyes glued onto the scientist with the hunched back. 

“Uhh...a sincere good morning to our dear mayor in the backseat…”the old researcher stuttered hoarsely, his paws fumbling with his reading glasses. The crowd burst into applause. Yet the atmosphere was so tense that it could have been cut with a knife. The cabinet knew it might be their last chance at redemption, their last grasp at a better life. 

“As we know,” the scientist straightened himself and took a look at his clipboard, “Our city has been facing extreme climatic changes of late.”

The officials nodded their approval, even though the fact was already glued into their minds, the only reason why they were so sleep-deprived from stress. They knew the weather alteration balloons couldn’t last for much longer. They knew clearly that the public was already finding out for themselves, lone explorers trekking to the borders and noticing how cold or hot it had suddenly become. The rain for example, was not supposed to happen at all. 

“It’s been taking too much juice...I mean energy to maintain the climate control operations of our city. We live on an exhausted planet. Records show how the original fossil fuels, the ones we should have inherited were long since vaporized, long since gone for mysterious reasons. We have been forced to rely on other things, hydroelectricity, solar energy...even the nuclear rods we have found contained out west!” 

“But it seems as if our fate has been destined. That we shall run the long race no longer. Our solar farms have faced extreme climatic change, dark clouds covering where there should have been light. The hydroelectric facilities are taking far too much risks to maintain and to function.” He lowered his voice “We all know well what happened at the Burrows 3 months ago.” 

The mayor rubbed his forehead vigorously, trying to forget the memories of what had happened to the hydroelectric station. Scientists had no explanation for it, that the largest dam ever known to animalkind had actually been built on a tectonic fault. It was no coincidence, no accident that it had collapsed, exposing the industrial centre to the unforgiving waves of the huge reservoir.There was nobody for them to blame but themselves. The mayor knew perfectly he had confirmed the area 30 years ago, one of the first actions he had initiated as leader of the city. 

He had responded harshly to the accident, once the reports started trickling in from the surveillance gondolas and cameras nearby. He forbid any mention of the operation in any of the media, the radio and the newspapers. The death toll was astronomical, almost impossible for him to comprehend. The next thing he did was even worse. He ordered his personal operatives, the ZCID (Zootopia Central Investigations Department) to track down all survivors from the area. Word must never get out. He had ordered them imprisoned in remote locations, never to be release again. The notion of execution had briefly entered his mind, but even for a ruthless mammal like him it was too murderous. It was on his orders that all such news were to be concealed from the public, in fear of public outrage and the blaming of the government. He wasn’t the first leader to do this. He simply did it out of fear. 

“Nevertheless that resulted in the loss of 50% of our total electricity generation.” he concluded, muttering something under his breath about who knew how much water the dam held. 

“Dr. Schiff?” Mrs. Johnson, an arctic wolf in her early thirties inquired, “As the Minister of Energy I am extremely concerned with the amount of electricity generated in the weeks after the Incident. I understand, and under my orders I have insisted upon the temporary halting of several climatic change zones in our city, such as Tundra Town or Sahara Square. These, however have led to extremely violent protests that may soon threaten the city’s safety. Should we, the government, reveal the true details of the Incident and beg for forgiveness? As well as promote and encourage energy-saving measures?” 

The damn woman was out of her mind. 

“Are you insane?” the mayor hollered, “Public security is our first option. Think of all that could happen if we revealed the truth. Riots! Boycotts! Coups! If you really believe they’re going to forgive us then you’re certifiably out of your mind. Our jobs will be lost! Imprisoned in the call of vengeance!” 

“Hiding the truth does not help calm down the protests, sir.” Mrs. Johnson replied scornfully 

“We can hush everything down. I will send out the ZPD, even the ZCID. The newspapers can just make something up. A cover story. Sahara Square closed for maintenance! Hasn’t anyone told you yet? If everybody’s happy happy on the surface, nobody will care! That’s what our organization has been doing for the past century!” He slammed his fist on the table in front of him, “They trust in us. They rely on us. They have no reason to leave us now. We provide everything!” 

“That further explains why we should no longer deceive our own people!” the Minister was trying her best to conceal her rage. 

“Mr. Mayor, Minister Johnson.” the doctor cleared his throat and addressed the duo, “That’s why I’m putting Operation Dawnbreak into action.” 

The Bull nodded, and smiled triumphantly towards his subordinate. 

“Why...why wasn’t I informed of any of this madness?” 

“In the past 2 decades, under the instructions of the dear mayor Mr. Julius Bogo, we have successfully located and detected a vast amount of Energy-14 under this very piece of land. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the ground you’re stepping on now is home to millions of years of geological development, eventually producing vast amounts of this clean and reliable fuel source, sufficient to power the Earth for centuries...even for millennia!” 

The scientist continued, “There has only been one stumbling block. Apart from hiding this event from the public of course…” 

“Is concealing this event even necessary?” Mrs. Johnson demanded “The public should be informed! They...they deserve a right to know what is going on!” 

“What if it fails, Mrs. Johnson.” the mayor’s tone was dangerously calm, “It will cause panic, riots, and even destruction. Nobody can protect the citizens any longer. What will become of our ZPD, the ZCID when they too, succumb to the effects of our over-industrialization. And over-population Yes, the public deserves to know but JUST NOT NOW!” he roared the last 3 words. 

‘Let the poor man finish…” a random voice emanating from the crowd urged. 

“Thank you.” Doctor Schiff nodded in the direction of the voice in appreciation, “As I said, the only stumbling block appears to be the method of harvesting the energy source. It is extremely prone to the atmosphere in our environment, and tends to escape when in contact with out air, the very atmosphere we are breathing in. Until very, very recently there has been no way to utilize such a powerful fuel, the very source which can solve our energy problems.” 

“Perhaps stress on our organization was all that was needed. With the problems of over-population looming ahead, it’s difficult for us not find a way out. But finally, we have succeeded. There is indeed a way, to harvest the famous Energy-14 and use it without it being evaporated by the atmosphere.” 

He pointed to a simple blackboard behind me, to some weird-looking diagrams which the mayor had no knowledge of. 

For the next 15 minutes the mayor resisted the urge to go to sleep as the scientists droned on and on about their work. It was barely possible, yet indeed true that they had drilled holes into vast pockets of Energy-14 hundreds of metres below the Earth’s surface. How they managed to keep it contained was a marvellous feat. The huge pipes made of the strongest steel extended from the pockets to the surface, transporting massive amounts of the extraordinary gas to just below the surface in specially built vaults, ready to be deployed when ready. Then the reactors and generators came next, the brainchild of the team of scientists working hard for the past 5 years. They had hastily finished building the reactors and generators which had specially been adapted to use for the mysterious fuel, according to the hypothetical assumptions and predictions by the research team. On the whole, the project was just a massive gamble. There were numerous risks, the overheating of the generators, the possibilities of vast amounts of gas breaking through the containment chambers...but the desperation they faced was enough to blind them from danger, their sole motivation towards. 

The room dimmed and the officials and scientists trooped out of the room and down the hallway lit by dark red emergency lights, heavily guarded by ZCID sentries. Despite his gloomy look Mayor Julius Bogo was excited, his heart beating faster than it had ever before. He was going to witness the greatest feat of modern science, their lone hope of salvation. A heavy iron door slid open, and the guards saluted as the prominent company entered the observation chamber. A dozen scientists stood behind their computer screens, scribbling frantic messages and completing their final checks. The mayor strolled leisurely over to the observation window, the reinforced model designed to deflect explosive impacts. His eyes followed the flurry of movement below the chamber, squads of guards and teams of researchers working under the blinding neon lights, huge stores of the last remaining stocks of petrol in the world standing next to them, apparently feeding the lights and generators. 

“Please don your protective goggles, ladies and gentlemen. This is going to be spectacular.” Dr. Schiff announced from behind his computer monitor, haggling with several others of the computer team. 

The mayor walked beside them and tried to listen to snippets of their conversation. It didn’t exactly please him. 

“Impossible” one exclaimed. 

“Won’t surprise me if the damn thing explodes.” 

“Where’s the fastest way out of here?” 

And throughout all that Dr. Schiff was trying to calm them down, to assure his inventions would never fail the mayor’s expectation. Bogo sure wished that he would live up to his promises. 

“Honorable guests!” Dr. Schiff yelled from his seat, “We have finished our final checkings! Please be aware that the next procedure is going to take 10 minutes. We’re afraid that the amount of electricity produced by the Facility alone, combined with the others in the area, is sufficient to cause a major blackout in the metropolis if not coordinated properly. In a few minutes, the other power stations scattered around the metropolis will stop generating electricity, and our Facility alone will begin functioning for the first time, the Energy-14 providing enough power to the city on it’s own.” 

“You see, ladies and gentlemen. The reason we’ve chosen this time of day is to reduce the damage caused by a blackout, if one really happens in case of emergency. The city centre will be at it’s quietest in half an hour, which means not many mammals will notice the sudden change in events.” He turned to his monitor and whispered a few words to his assistants. 

“Ah, guests! We see that the other power stations have done a spectacular job! The lines from the other stations have been cut, and the energy being transmitted is enough to hold the city’s need for a few more minutes. So now, turn on the generators! Let the Energy-14 flow from the vaults! Let the fun begin!” 

The engines and the mechanisms hidden within the building began to roar, the vibrations so loud that the mayor thought the world was going to end. Over the din of the gas being rushed up the pipes into the reactors he could yell yelling and frantic orders over the radios. What was going on? Several members of his staff also looked confusedly at each other, unsure what to make of it all. Doctor Schiff swore under his breath, and quickened his typing on his computer. A few moments later he picked up the receiver on his desk, and his face turned deadly pale. 

“The reactors!” he cried, “They are overheating!” 

The rest of the researchers ran to their computers, typing in frantic commands. 

“Sir! Reactors 3 and 4 have been damaged! Vast amounts of Energy-14 are leaking out!” 

“Seal up the area! Use the containment door! It’s not too late!” 

“But, sir! The personnel...the guards inside...we cannot close the door, sir!” 

And it was true. From the tiny images from the computer he could see dozens of personnel running around blindly, some already collapsing from the effects of the smoke. Mayor Bogo sat on his chair, unable to move or to speak. 

“Close the damn containment door!” came the command. 

Almost crying, the scientist slammed her paw onto a red button, sealing the fates of those trapped inside. Dr. Schiff, apparently shaken, tried to take control over the chaos. 

“Lyson! Datrick! Abort the command! Close off the Energy-14 supply!” 

“Sir! None of the other reactors are responding! The generators have been severely damaged! Tons of Energy-14 is leaking out!” he pointed down into the room, separated by the thick layer of glass. Smoke was rising, and Bogo could see huge quantities of gas he presumed to be E14 gushing out from the ground, the pipes long since broken. 

“Abort the operation! Seal off the pipes! Turn on the emergency vault isolation system!” 

“None of the engines are responding sir!” 

The receiver rang again. The news was even worse. The power had been cut off in Zootopia. The ZPD was already calling the government offices. Worse still, the huge amount of energy released had led to a massive destruction of the energy lines, burning out the remaining power supply to the metropolis. It would take weeks to re-open the ones from the old power stations.

“Crap!” the scientist screamed. He checked the screen. The temperature in the room had risen, the reactors 3 and 4 long since burnt out. The vaults had given way, the steel doors holding the gas in buckling under the immense pressure. Reactor 1 was still holding out, the mechanism overheating so much that it was going to… 

“OUT! EVERYONE OUT!” his cries had barely reached the mayor’s ears before Reactors 1 and 2 exploded, spraying heat, ashes and broken glass into everybody’s face. There was darkness in the room for a moment, before the sprinklers and the eerie glow of the emergency lights kicked in. There was the screaming and groaning of those hurt. The mayor opened his eyes to see members of the team lying in pools of blood, their faces cut by the shattered glas. Others were being helped out by the sentries, wiping off their wounds. Bogo could taste blood on his lips, and his arm hurt like hell. Dr. Schiff was whimpering behind his table. It was all his fault. The stupid liar should never have been part of the project! 

Mayor Julius Bogo was storming over to the cowering scientist when something in the room below him caught his eye. It was on fire, the personnel still trapped in there screaming and pounding on the doors. The heat was very nearly unbearable, the room already devastated by the explosion. But there was still something else. The storage tanks of petroleum, designed to provide energy to the lights and everything else to keep it moving. It was on fire. 

The mayor used his muscular arms to push everyone out of the way, sprinting across the hallway, the emergency lights and klaxons wailing in warning. A few others sentries and officials saw him and joined him, knowing things were soon going to get a lot worse. Julius tried to ignore his wounds and recall which way he came i to the facility. He felt faint, but a guard hoisted his arm on to his shoulder and charged the final few metres of the hallway, slamming open the door to the exit just was a huge explosion rocked his ears. A huge fireball rushed down the hallway, incinerating those still inside. Julius and the few others with him moved out of the way at the last second, the immense heat on his face, the sweat slowly dripping from his forehead. As he stood up woozily he could smell the scent of burning, as well as that of petrol. It was immensely hot, even hotter than the scorchers in August. 

Julius looked all around him, the survivors cowering in fear. He could see his old limousine blown onto its side, the car doors detached by the impact. The rain was still falling, the water sizzling in contact with the fire. Mrs. Johnson made her way to him, one of the few who survived the initial explosion. Her face was scarred by the glass, a filthy rag pressed there to stop the bleeding. The mayor looked down at her, the bleeding and sorry form of a an once proud wolf. 

She whispered, “I agree with you. Never, ever reveal this.” 

He knew where she was going. The project had taken billions of dollars, the sole reason why the taxes had increased by almost 20% in the past 6 months. And the endeavour which all the money was spent on had just been destroyed...it would virtually be too much to take in. Billions of dollars spent on a hopeless experiment, instead of being utilized to help the homeless, the needy…

Julius said nothing as the one dozen remaining members were hurried onto a waiting jeep, the engine already running. He took no notice of the panic around him, the scores of ZCID putting out the fires and dragging out survivors from the debris. Heck, it would take billions to get the facility working again. The pipes were twisted and bent, the reactors blackened and malfunctioned. They would never work again, the surviving scientists already starting their status quo reports.

On the journey back to the city, Julius stared into the rising sun and wondered what his last job in office might be. They needed a cover story. The swearing to secrecy for everyone who witnessed the explosion. He paged his secretary and told her everything needed. She promised that nobody would ever know about what happened. But who was to be trusted anymore? Promises were as easily broken as glass. 

The situation report arrived a few days later. The mayor decided that it was the last meeting he was ever going to hold while in office. He was going to resign. The blood of innocents stained his paws red, their forgotten souls screeching in his dreams. He could take it no longer. So he decided to let it go. 

The few important officials trickled into the room, Mrs. Johnson taking the seat of the vice-mayor, him having passed away recently in the “gondola crash”. Even Bogo was shocked by the gullibility of his own people. Sure, there were investigations into the safety of airship designs, and the “wreckage” found at the site, but nobody ever wondered how the rest of the Cabinet could have survived, having fallen from hundreds of feet above. And rumors didn’t count. There were minor protests and demonstrations, but Julius paid them no heed. He knew his people well. No matter young or old, big or small, they all shared one common similarity: Animals were all fickle beings, gifted with a short-term memory designed not to last. He understood just after 3 months, the “gondola crash” would be everything but remembered. 

The professor cleared his throat and prepared his report. He was probably the best choice for writing the brief, as he was one of the few lucky ones to have survived the fire and the explosion afterwards, being found alive inside the wreckage. The goat began his presentation. It was going to be short. Julius had ordered for it. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen.” he began, addressing the tiny crowd. “With the full-out investigations coming to an end, we have concluded that Operation Beacon is literally devastated, with the loss of machinery that cost billions, the money being taken from the people’s pockets for the past 10 years. The incident also resulted in a terrible loss of life, both for the ZCID and the Government.” 

“However, there is still hope. In retrospect to the deployment of E14, a squad from the ZCID, sworn to secrecy of course, has successfully located an abundant amount of uranium, enough to cater to the city for 100 years, just a few miles before the borderline. Entity X45 has also been found, seeming to be an ancient remnant of a onc…” 

The mayor held up his paw for silence. The scientist stopped abruptly, awaiting what the bull had to say. 

“Is it possible, I mean, under these circumstances….to actually open the border and...I mean...could it be justifiable?” 

Everybody remained silent. What their leader had proposed was absurd, the direct violation of the ordinances laid down so many generations ago. It was taboo. Unacceptable. The mayor sank back into his chair, depressed at the reaction. 

“Nevertheless,” the researcher concluded, “We have successfully blocked the massive flow of Energy 14, and the huge amount of energy seems to be safe for now. The underground pockets have been temporarily sealed off. Our ZCID officers have already closed off the scene. The cover story has concealed everything else.” 

The mayor nodded and signed the report, the conclusion to a brief yet fatal failure. The meeting as adjourned. His back hunched, the massive bull strode out of the office. He still had much to do to prepare for his resignation. 

But what the government didn’t know was, the scientist had left out something. A brief sentence at the end of the report, one of great importance that the followers of Dr. Schiff had no intention of anybody else finding out. It had been deliberately concealed, destined to be the greatest secret of Zootopia for the following half century. 

Unbeknownst to anybody else, save for the research team, the gigantic amount of E14 released at the facility, under such strenuous pressure, had actually punched a hole into the space-time continuum, a rift in space-time matter. It was the lone secret of the city, shrouded in the darkness only revealed to the few whose only intention was to take advantage of it. The scientists could imagine a whole new world, full of resources somewhere far into the future. Their only job was to decipher the weakness, to release so much energy at once again that the wormhole could be utilized, the tool to send their personnel anywhere they wanted. 

Dr. Sturmer surveyed the wreckage from the safety of his gondola, the courtesy of the ZCID. There had already been talk of disbanding, the remaining servicemen banding together to work for his cause. He knew if used correctly the portal could be a terrible weapon, one capable of destroying the city….or saving it. It was all his choice, being the top surviving scientist. He had learnt a lot from Schiff, the gaining of power, retaining it….he had long since possessed those abilities. Finally, the opportunity had come. He didn’t care if it took years, decades….he would be the one to complete this endeavour, to deploy the E14 for his own purposes. He just needed the resources. 

A stout leopard walked up to him, saluting stiffly.

“The Mayor has approved of ZERB (Zootopia Energy Research Bureau) Do you wish to confirm commencement of the Project?” 

The answer was swift. 

“Commence Operation Gotterdammerung.” 

“Why the weird name, sir?” 

“It meant the downfall of the gods….in ancient parts of the world.”

But what Dr. Sturmer and his people didn’t know, were the consequences of their actions. Perhaps he should not be blamed. It came far too late for them to realize, half a century too late.

He also didn’t know something else.

And it was the story of Christopher Columbus and the Indians.


	2. A Multinational Venture

Chapter 2: A Multinational Venture (Prologue 2)

11 years before the Movie 

Zootopian Date: P.E (Post Evolution) 2054  
Earth Date: A.D. (Anno Domini) 2005

Location: Xi'an (西安), Shaanxi Province, China. 

Time: 6:08 am

The fleet of heavily-armed military helicopters swept over the city at high speed, as if escaping the rising sun to the east, retreating further westwards as the bright light advanced on them. For now, the city still relaxed in the safety of the darkness, the numerous skyscrapers still shrouded in the fading remnants of night. Occasionally a passer-by or a worker might poke his head out from one of the stamp-like windows among the millions clustered in the metropolis, and wonder what the heck was going on in the sky above their heads. On board the metallic birds were representatives and diplomats from virtually every major power in the world, no matter East or West, Japan, Korea, the United States, Germany, Britain….every almost single one of them was accounted for. Of course, the Chinese officials among them amounted to twice as many as all of the international reps put together, sitting proudly in their seats and enjoying the view of the miracle they had created years earlier in the 1980s in the middle of nowhere, transforming a tiny town into a sprawling mass of concrete and steel, home to more than 8.5 million. 

There was a clear difference between the local officials and the foreigners on the helicopters, flying dangerously close to each other in tight formation as they veered frequently in the air, soon to be leaving the airspace of the metropolis and into that of the silent countryside. The foreigners, their blond and brown hair mixing among the masses of black, could barely keep their eyelids open, the instant effects of jet-lag kicking in. Many of them had flown non-stop for more than 24 hours, being flown into Beijing, Shanghai or directly into Xi’an from their respective capitals, Tokyo, Seoul, Washington,Berlin and countless others many hours earlier. Their weary hands firmly clasped their hard-earned cups of coffee, as if they were paranoid someone was going to snatch it from them any minute. As the flight accelerated the Chinese top-brass continued to smile and grin among the weary outsiders, every crease in place as they prided themselves on their most recent discovery, one that exceeded the miracle in the middle of nowhere decades earlier. China was INDEED the factory and provider of the world. 

“You see, gentlemen.” Premier Xi announced into his headset, his slightly-accented English reaching the ears of his Western counterparts squeezed in every single one of the other transports, 'For millennia China has always been leading in aspects of food, cultural and technological advances, the local products and climates so desirable that countless envious envoys from foreign nations,” he coughed comically to send his point across, “were and are still willing to spend whatever they have to get their hands on this considerable piece of treasure.” 

He grinned, the other prominent officials with him smiling in return. The pride they took in the discovery was immense, almost irreplaceable. 

“However, what we have found is extraordinary, extinct in practically every other part of the world. Some of you may even call it poppycock, as I have learnt From your language of English. Yes, it is shocking and unexpected. Even I, when for the first time learning about the results of our experiments disbelieved in such rumors….until the truth of these tests was confirmed.” 

The diplomats from the other nations snapped from their fatigue to wonder about what the Premier had just said, perhaps the very reason they had been ordered by the very top to arrive in China without any delay permissible. Some of them had already been briefed by the rumors, eager and craving to find out more, their feet subconsciously tapping in excitement as they were strapped into the seats, moving centimetre by centimetre to the test zone. 

“Indeed, my friends, we have been facing an energy crisis everywhere in the world. We developing countries are suffering the worst, and are going to benefit a lot from this test. The consequences of our opening-up policy are already showing, gentlemen, as you may have noticed the smog in Beijing. What we have found may be what ends it all. But still, developed countries will still benefit a considerable amount.” he savoured the last word. 

The Premier stopped talking as his helicopter, the lead one in the formation turned and glided over the rice paddies stretching into the horizon. Xi daydreamed with the thought of combining nation-wide production with the discovery….China’s GDP would just boom in the space of several years! He had every confidence that it would succeed….with 7 billion human beings on the planet it was going to be hard not to find anyone with the technological knowledge to accomplish the endeavour. 

The chatter in the other helicopters stopped immediately as the representatives stared outside the bulletproof windows of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army; in other words, the Chinese Army) vehicle, their breath misting the originally crystal-clear surface. Almost out of nowhere, a huge mountain appeared, the lone landmark in a never-ending field of crops and greenery. Several dozen miles from it there stood a huge man-made plastic cover, covering a huge landmass somewhere to the west. Hundreds of small buildings dotted the region, each surrounding the huge canopy. The Terracotta Warriors, another of China’s miracles over 2000 years ago. Yet, even the “8th wonder of the world” was no match for what they had recently found. 

Japanese Foreign Minister Asami Shunsen stretched his neck and gazed at the huge mountain beneath the helicopter. As a student of Chinese History in high school, he instantly recognized what the structure really was, and why it had been built 2 millennia ago. Unlike most of the other reps he had a vague idea of what was going to happen, and at least he knew the mountain was actually artificial, a relic of a massive tomb of the ancient Qin dynasty that claimed the city of Xi’an as its capital 2000 autumns earlier. It always helped to research before one began a project. Moreover, his government still had more plans for him. He needed to be patient. 

The dozen helicopters ground to a halt and hovered over the land site, the area next to the Mausoleum being sealed and closed off to all civilians once the entity had been located, the few villagers living there long since relocated to a nearby village. Squadrons of military helicopters were parked on a piece of flat land levelled a few weeks ago, hundreds of white-coated researchers from different major powers strolling around, accompanied by even more elite PLA troopers, their advanced armored cars and APCs casually scattered everywhere on the ground, their machine guns drooping like some sort of dead insect. 

The ground controller from his week-old tower signalled and sent a message to the pilots----the pads were clear for landing. Giving out one last burst of energy, the helicopters spiralled and headed for the ground, their pilots aiming accurately where to land. There was no more room for error. The rotors of the vehicles kicked up a sandstorm as the helicopters touched down, spraying the nearby PLA guards waiting to escort the officials with dirt and mud. Finally the engines died down and the soldiers came towards to slide open the extraordinarily thick and armoured plane doors, the international and local diplomats stumbling out, their eyes painfully adjusting to the bright light which had finally overcome them. 

Premier Xi couldn’t help smiling on his face as they were escorted into the Chinese version of a Humvee, the Dongfeng EQ2050 and with the grumbling of the motors were driven to some sort of compound, heavily-armed squads frequently patrolling the area in addition to surveillance flights every half-hour. The area was closed off to the public, huge warning signs written in Chinese and English advising citizens not to venture any further. As the sand from the tires obscured most of the view from the windows he thought of all the action that was going on right now. It had been several weeks since teams of his scientists had confirmed the existence of Helium-3 in the area, the mysterious energy that was believed only to exist on the Moon and in outer space. He, being a veteran student of science, of course expressed his surprise at such an abrupt discovery in the beginning. But gradually over time, as different government sent out more teams of talented and qualified researchers to investigate the area he had been convinced that Helium-3 did exist in some form in the area, at least in the surrounding boundaries. After all, all of the 15 teams couldn’t be wrong, could they? He himself had read their personal reports to him, and each one of them boasted the detection, by the most classified of international technology that the amount of Helium-3 present was sufficient to actually feed the needs of China itself for 120 years beneath the surrounding fields of green.

Premier Xi kept his thoughts to himself as the Dongfeng raced across the twisting sandy path, leading the team closer and closer to their final destination. He knew the diplomats were getting restless. He would allow a brief rest before briefing them on the necessity of the situation. Time was of the essence. But still, a little break couldn’t really hurt anyone. He continued to toy with his imagination, the little daydreams of China’s industry booming and ever-increasing GDP. Of course, the option of military invasion never entered his mind. Yes, his nation needed a strong military, but invasion had never been in his blood. It was simply not in his nature. 

But of course, different people had different plans. 

Japanese Foreign Minister Shunsen kept muttering to himself during the trip, earning himself weird and concerned glances exchanged between the American and British diplomats accompanying him. Naturally they didn’t understand what he was saying. He had always been a fickle man, eager to please his superiors yet harsh and unforgiving to his subordinates, especially to those who had failed him previously. His personal motto was not to allow anything to get into his way, nor let anyone see anything actually got to him (just like a sly con fox turned cop we know). He gritted his teeth as the jeep trundled towards. He had been diagnosed with heavy motion sickness, and had a delicate stomach. He hoped his mission would be worth it. 

The company was ushered into a luxurious conference room, almost out of place in the otherwise drab and ordinary compound they had seen from their jeeps. Most of the more fatigued ones immediately plumped themselves onto the uncountable black swivel chairs in the room, waiting for what was to be discussed and be through with all of it in one go. They weren’t sure if they could cope with another experience like this again their lifetimes. After all, their delicate bodies were accustomed to the air conditioning and hospitality of their own offices. They simply weren’t used to this sort of treatment. 

Plates of breakfast, the dishes varying from rice to pancakes, were distributed hurriedly by the dozens of waiters trooping around everywhere. More and more cups of instant coffee had been flushed out, the steam for the deep black liquid mixing with the air in the room until it became no more. The diplomats and foreign representatives could resist the temptation no longer. They tucked in ravenously as if they were hungry wolves, some of them not even bothering to use their cutlery. 

Premier Xi watched on in amusement as his counterparts gulped down their refreshments. A tiny piece of buttered bread had been put in front of him, but he wasn’t especially hungry. After all, he had already eaten on his way from Beijing only a few hours earlier. He checked his watch, a chunk of stainless steel on his wrist. He was growing impatient, one of the few pet-peeves even his personal staff would admit to him having. He subconsciously tapped his own foot annoyedly for 5 long minutes, until he decided that he wasn’t going to wait for them to finish. Who knew how long it would take for them to be full? 

He stretched his long legs, covered with one of the finest trousers a man in his country could buy, and strode confidently onto the tiny podium that had been specially set up for him. He didn’t even bother to wait for the lights to dim. They did, of course, the technicians signalling wildly at each other as they saw the 2nd most powerful man in the country glaring at them coldly. The Premier coughed comically and tapped nervously on his mike, calling for the audience’s attention. It delighted him to see their faces swivel to meet his, their hunger put aside temporarily, replaced by their never-ending curiosity. 

“My friends,” he began, his wrinkled hands finding a hold on the stage. “It has been 7 long months since we have located the Entity, the mysterious fuel source that is enough to transform our country, our world, in the space of several years.” 

“The world as we know it may be facing extinction. Humanity may have been losing in a desperate struggle with nature, destined to fail but still fights on relentlessly. But now, “ he smiled, his perfectly white teeth glimmering under the spotlights, “Man has triumphed.” 

“I know some of you have heard of such news from your own governments, the only institutions to whom the secret has been shared with. We are not a selfish race. We share with each other the fruits of our success. It is our turn, and honor, to repay the Western World with what we have...and are willing the offer. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you….the salvation of Humanity!” 

The technicians at the back turned on some sort of projection device, a large and weird looking diagram shining on the wall. It seemed like a map, the characteristics of the fields and the Mausoleum easily identifiable. But what was the immense chunk of land highlighted in blue? 

“Honorable guests,” Xi continued, “What we have identified here under our province of Shaanxi, under our own invaluable Mausoleum of the famous Qin Shi Huangdi, is the fuel source of Helium 3, irreplaceable and miraculous.” 

Shunsen nodded silently in understanding, his lips forming into a sly grin. So that was the reason why the Chinese Authorities had been so hesitant to answer the call of enthusiastic scientists waiting to open up the tomb of the First Emperor. The fuel source had probably been lying under there for a long time. 

“The first reports came to us in 1985, not long after we had commenced the Opening-up Policy and Reformation. At first our institutions had been too occupied with their conventional work to pay heed to such unfounded rumours. However, as more and more researchers travelled to the scene, it was hard not to believe that this area holds the presence of Helium 3 itself. They came from different nations, from the United States to our own local investigators. But after decades of studying and confirmation, we have undoubtedly confirmed the existence and presence of the fuel source deep under the surface, waiting for us to mine it out.” 

"'But that’s impossible!” a man sitting in the front row objected with a heavy French accent, “Helium 3 escapes from our atmosphere extremely easily ….there may be no way to move it, let alone mine it!” 

“My dear Monsieur, the United Nations has already agreed to provide the funding for the research of mining equipment, as well as the distribution of this source when mining is deemed successful and complete. The amount of money already gathered from your governments around the globe is way more than enough to commence this project. Moreover, our own professors at Qinghua have just telephoned our facility that the mining of Helium 3, at least the hypothetical methods of it, have been proven by scientific research. And in the United Kingdom,” he nodded at the representative, “Mining equipment has long since been assembled, awaiting a transport vehicle that can accommodate its size and weight.” 

“Herr Premier,” a woman at the back demanded, “Has this news been received by our own federal organizations? Has it been legalized in your country….or around the world? Moreover, is the United Nations involved in this?” 

“Mein Liebe Freund, kann ich Ihnen erzählt nur, dass alles bereit ist. (My friend, I can only tell you that everything is ready) Yes, the reason why you are here is not to debate the possibilities of the commencement of this project, but to sign the documents for your respective countries. The final decision shall be held tonight. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have every confidence that this project shall be unanimously approved by the leaders of all countries around the world, and the world might finally be saved from the energy crisis that continues to cripple us ever since the turn of the century.” 

He turned off his mike. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That is all I have to say.” 

 

~16 hours later ~ 

The Premier stood at the head of the table, the representatives hurrying to their seats with one or two translators following tightly behind them. The meeting was about to start, the decision that was going to change the world about to be approved...or denied. Xi played with his thumb nervously as he awaited for the wall of TV screens at one end of the room to flicker and show the faces of the world leaders, preparing to converse with him at the same time from all corners of the world. He coughed anxiously, and smoothened his attire for the final time. It was eleven in the evening. He was ready. 

At exactly eleven o'clock, the dozens of screens attached to the far side of the room zoomed into life, the faces behind them professional and deadly serious, yet tinges of excitement were overflowing from behind each of their solemn masks. This time, almost everyone knew what was going to happen. They had been informed at the G20 months ago, their voices then hushed and anxious, as if the room were bugged and surveyed 24 hours a day. Now wasn’t much different, their eyes glancing all across the room, paranoid that there might be someone out there to steal their secrets.

“Greetings, my dear friends from around the world. Hello, Ni hao, Bonjour, Guten Tag, G’day to every single one of you. I’m sure you all are just about as excited as I am to get things started, as such I will commence the procedure as soon as I can. As you see before you in your screens, the diplomats you have sent to China are sitting right here in the conference room, awaiting our orders with infinite patience. It would be terribly impolite for us to inconvenient them, so it is for our and their best interests to begin immediately.” 

“We must go on with the vote. I see every one of you 21 leaders are present, excellent. I shall be voting on our president’s behalf, who is unavoidably detained on business in the capital. You have 3 choices, or buttons as you may notice on the device in front of you. You are allowed to press any of them, but only once. I’m afraid you’re only permitted to make once choice. You may vote for Yes, No, or Abstain. And on the behalf of our Motherland, for the well-being of our civilization, I hereby vote “yes”. I’m very sure which choice you are all going to make. Let’s delay no more, ladies and gentlemen, let us all make a choice we will never regret in.” 

The vote was over in a little more than 3 minutes. Of the 22 participating nations 21 had voted for “yes”. The only major power who abstained was Italy, its financial crisis much urgent than an endeavour which required it to spit out more money than it could afford. Yet the Italian president had been obliged to vote for “Abstain”, rather than to shame his country’s pride by being the sole one to disagree with the decision of the other nations.

“Then my friends, we are settled. Here, on the behalf of our country I express my gratitude to you all. What we have decided here may change the fate of our world forever. But the mining of Helium 3 comes with a price, though already much cheaper than sending a mission to the Moon.” 

“We are asking for contributions from around the world. Your diplomats may already have noticed the compound and mining sites are being built by the PLA. Our professors at Tsinghua University have already arrived, their mining methods of Helium 3 proven to be usable and scientific. Your countries, too can provide resources we need.” 

“We still need scientists, machinery, and security personnel in addition to the units of PLA we possess at the site. 4 hours ago I received a message from the British convoy with the mining equipment. It had set off 5 hours earlier and is due to arrive here in Xi’an this morning. I am confident the equipment will work perfectly. Most of all, we lack money. The UN has agreed to sponsor 50% of our total expenditures, but…we still need more ” the Premier bit his lip. 

“Mr. Premier,” the American president addressed the Chinese man, “The United States is more than willing to sacrifice 1/7 of its annual income for this cause. This has been approved by the Senate for all I know, Mr. Premier. We Americans are eager to co-operate with you on this matter. Even I alone can change their choice if I wanted to.” 

“Like that could ever happen.” the Premier joked as a reply, “Nevertheless, according to the latest news from our leader President Zhou, the United Nations has supervised and approved of the founding and establishment of the ICED, the International Coalition of Energy Development, an organization which every major power present shall actively participate and invest in. Those who refuse to collaborate after the signing of the agreement will be thrown out of the Coalition, effective immediately.” he smiled sinisterly.

“The major governments shall be the ones in charge of this endeavour, and fortunately not some notorious and corrupt private business. Let us waste time no more, ladies and gentlemen, let the signing of the document begin.” 

Instantly the representatives from all the 22 major powers, from Britain to Japan, all signed on the agreements written in their own languages on behalf of their countries, skillfully guided by the ushers. 

As Shunsen hesitated, he thought of the opportunities the Project could present to his country. He was known within his Parliament as the Tiger, despite his short stature. He was infamous for his ambition, thus the weird nickname. The Tiger had plans for his country, and he was going to realize it. But for now, he was going to be patient. It never paid to let your enemies know what you were up to. So he smiled and signed the agreement, confirming Japan’s participation in the ICED Campaign.

The ICED was finally formed, a rare united collaboration between all the major nations on Earth. Perhaps it was true that humanity would only come together when faced with crises. 

At exactly 23 hours and 25 minutes, Operation Atom officially began. 

 

<6 days, 15 hours later>

Premier Xi mumbled and put on his old-fashioned steel rimmed glasses, his mind still groggy from long hours of sleep. Why had his superior been so insistent upon calling at such a horrible time? He only hoped that it was going to be worth his attention. 

Slowly shuffling his feet and moving out of his tiny apartment in the compound and along the corridor, he wondered if he had been such a good choice to volunteer and supervise the construction and mining 24 hours a day. He had barely gotten any sleep in his assigned quarters, the air too warm for his liking. His body had long since outgrown the type of military bunks he had slept on 30 years ago when he still served in the military. In addition there was always the noise from the outside, all the machinery assigned to different spots in the excavation site racing to locate the Helium 3. They were still working out there right now. What time was it? It was still goddamn 4 in the morning? Did these people have to sleep? 

The several technicians on duty greeted him as he entered the room, the hullabaloo from the site still vibrating in his eardrums. He motioned one of them over, who hastened his footsteps and turned on his monitor. Xi could never master using these weird devices, their mechanisms always succeeding in eluding him. 

The operator raised his thumbs up. The president was coming online. The Premier tapped his foot impatiently, just wanting to get over with it and back to sleep. He envied the dozens of diplomats who had left 5 days ago, their simple mission already accomplished. He still had much more to work on. 

The screen flickered into life, and Xi immediately saluted to attention, his fatigue ignored for a moment. The President nodded at him and asked him to sit down. President Zhou was on the screen of his monitor, his face creased with wrinkles. He was well past his sixties, his actions slow and deliberate. Yet his ways of hiding his age was magnificent, and if one didn’t know him better they would have thought he was still in his late forties. 

“Good morning, Mr. President.” Xi greeted his superior in Chinese. 

“You too, Xi. I hope my call didn’t interrupt you too much.” 

His politeness began to annoy Xi, yet he continued his smile, the fake one that he had mastered during his political career. 

“No, not at all. I’m honored, extremely honored to converse with you at this time of day.” he lied. 

“Good. As you know, the Americans are becoming impatient.” 

Xi gulped. He had been expecting this, but never so early. He had painstakingly dismissed the most recent reports delivered to him, finding them unproven rumors. Helium 3 was under Xi’an! It was definitely correct! How dare someone doubt the authenticity of the result of countless tests! 

“Sir, we just need more time, I believe that…” 

President Zhou held up his hand for silence. 

“There has been no Helium 3 found under Xi’an.” 

And the President was correct for now. The team had been digging continuously for 106 hours, ever since the equipment from the UK had duly arrived at Xianyang Airport. Xi just needed more time. 

“Sir, sir, I can explain….” 

“Don’t worry, Xi,” the older man smiled, “You don’t really think I’d call you in the middle of the night just to chastise you, do you?” 

“Uh, no sir, of course not.” Premier Xi laughed nervously. 

“I would have, to be perfectly frank with you. Operation Atom costs billions and billions of dollars donated by all the nations of the IDEC, you know. Think of all the things everyone has selflessly given us in exchange of Helium-3! Privileges, personnel, additional security forces…..we must not fail them at this point.” 

“But in this mishap, when channels were being built a few days ago to connect more power and energy from the nearby power stations, we have noticed something. A reason why our sensors indicate a presence of Helium 3, yet nothing has been discovered lying under the ground. We have been digging for a week now, as you may know. The Chinese Government had already chosen 5 excavation spots, each located where the helium 3 should be the most abundant in quantity. But there was nothing, not even when our machines reaches bedrock. Up to now we have found no pockets of Helium 3, not even proof of its existence in China.” 

“The massive amounts of additional energy being transferred to this region have caused our reactors and sensors to pick up something in the facility, something hardly believable even using the principles of modern science. Here, in Xi’an, we suspect a wormhole of sorts, a portal in the space-time continuum. We still have no idea how it was formed. It could have been here for 2 millennia right next to Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb, or it could have been created just a few decades earlier. Nobody knows. The only fact we know right now for sure, is that there is a hole punched through the continuum, a glitch or flaw of sorts in the system. It’s like a jailbreak you know. Scientists from Washington have already located the weakness point, or as we call it Entity P. What they have discovered is shocking, perhaps even incomprehensible to you and me.” 

“Their sensors, detecting for Helium-3 indicated such high quantities of the energy source right outside the weakness point that they nearly malfunctioned. Yes, Xi, I see the surprise on your face. Our initial suspicion is that, the portal was created recently by some sort of energy transfusion activity, generating so much additional energy in an instant that the operation immediately broke apart. There was on other side of the wormhole an attempt to mine the Helium 3 there. But it seems that they have failed. However, they were successful in creating this glitch, the only flaw in the brick wall that divides our world. It is not quite strong enough for direct access, though. We yet need more energy, an insane amount that our power stations cannot afford to generate. The energy could be used to provide power to punch open the hole, make it strong enough for sending organic material and cargo through.”

“The fruits of our success will be huge. Helium 3 has been confirmed to exist on the other side!” the President’s once hoarse voice now grew strong, the valiance in his youth once again returning, “The foreign nations have already put towards several methods, contributing valuable information and research teams to the cause. They are doing their part. We must thus do ours.” 

“I am ready, Mr. President.” Premier Xi announced. 

“We are going to build a Nuclear Power station right next to the facility. We are going to import all the nuclear fuel rods we need, possibly from the entire country or maybe the entire world. I believe that the Americans will be willing to assist in such a breakthrough. It will change our history, our course of fate forever.” 

“It is going to take several years, Mr. President, 2 years tops if we mobilize the PLA. Please bear in mind, sir, that it will also take time to clear away civilian residences as well.” 

“Please, do so, Premier.” Zhou sighed heavily, “Time is of the essence. Our world is at the crossroads, hurtling towards extinction. One slight mistake, and our children will never forgive us.” 

“I promise to do whatever I can.” Xi affirmed fiercely. 

“Excellent. Signing off for now. Farewell!” the screen blinked black. The President had vanished. 

Xi rubbed his temples, the exact sports which hurted when he had a headache. He wasn’t going to fall asleep tonight anyways. 

He picked up the internal communication device placed on the desk, just beside his computer screen. He reached for the buttons and dialed, pressing codes only he and few others knew. He put the receiver to his ear, waiting for the answer on the other end. 

“Hello? This is the Premier. Call in PLA B-Unit 453 and Colonel You immediately. We have a Situation 23.”


	3. Contact of the Interdimensional Kind

Chapter 3: Encounters of the Interdimensional Kind (Prologue 3)

At the same time as the Movie 

Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2062   
Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 2016 

Location: Cliffside Asylum, Zootopia. 

Time: 1:09 am 

It was well past midnight when the lone limousine silently slid into the tiny parking area, several wolf guards already scrambling over to open the door and show the mayor around. The thick car door lined with extra armour for protection bolted open, and a tall, muscular lion in an expensive suit emerged from the comfort of the vehicle apartment. His name was Lionheart, the first predator in the city’s history to be entrusted with the title of mayor. He was now the most powerful mammal for miles around. The sheer delight of the amount of power he had at his fingertips was enough to make him tingle…..he had the power to make anybody in the city disappear without trace(not that any citizen was to know about it, of course). The commander of the guard saluted stiffly as the gates opened and the mayor was welcomed into the facility. The lion walked proudly and vainly, as if he were the main actor in a play, not casting a glance at the dozens of minions swarming around him. 

This wasn’t his first visit. He was exactly the one who had authorized the confiscating of the Asylum and adapting it to government means…..turning it over to the very institution devoted to researching the unknown, the ZERB. Sure, their original goal had been to research other things, but their massive amount of resources and personnel meant that they were easily adapted to any form of work that was destined to be firmly concealed from the public eye. He was well aware that the guards accompanying him at the moment, safe the few he had brought from his urban office, all belonged to the ZERB instead of other organizations such as his trusted ZPD. He knew Bogo dearly, and had been friends with him at a young age due to their father’s close connections. Yet he was still not prepared to tell him everything he knew, everything the city had kept hidden from its people. 

He secretly pondered whether if the ZERB was becoming a threat. He understood perfectly that they were an individual governmental organization, perfectly capable of functioning on it’s own. However the ZERB still possessed a huge amount of money accumulated from the decade’s of taxpaying, the huge quantity of resources so willingly devoted to the development of Energy-14 by the government itself. Yet after 45 years what had become of the project? Even Lionheart himself merely had a vague idea. What the ZERB was messing with he almost had no hand in. 

His thoughts continued to overwhelm him as he proceeded into some containment room, observing the dozens of savage predators chained behind the extra-thick glass as if they were some bizarre exhibit in an exotic carnival. Deep down inside his heart the mighty lion began to tremble. He was tampering with things he should not be touching. When was his turn going to be, being one of the most prominent predators in the city? He had already tried his best to update his security measures, never letting the media show him in public, recruiting taste-testers etc….but all these cures did nothing to kill the nervousness that was changed to his conscious. 

He became increasingly annoyed with the doctor, his stammering turning into some sort of unwanted and unnecessary buzzing of a distant insect. Suddenly, he just snapped, unable to bottle in his emotions anymore. 

“Enough! I don’t want any excuses, doctor, I want answers!” 

“Please, Mayor Lionheart, we’re doing everything we can.” 

“I ain’t see nothing but your stupid power reactors out west! Seriously, when was the time you guys did something useful?” 

Little did they know a certain sly bunny and dumb fox were videotaping everything they said. 

The next thing the mayor knew was that he was being hustled out of the room, his guards forming a shield all around him and yelling something frantically that he was uninterested in finding out. An assassination attempt. It had to be. He long since had access to the real information of what had happened to the previous others… 

“Security, sweep the area!” the doctor ordered on his radio.

The doors on his limousine slammed and before long his vehicle was kicking up the dust of a highway miles away, finally a safe distance from the Asylum. He sighed and wiped his brow. He was positive he had heard a few beeps next to him back in the containment facility. What had it been? Was it the time to consider the ZERB a threat more than an asset? 

Back in the safety and comfort of his office, Mayor Lionheart was just trying to settle down and finish a few more reports on his computer before going off to bed when one of his express phones rang. It was a private number. Nobody but the ZERB and a couple of others had any knowledge of it. He groaned as he picked up the receiver. 

“Yes? Have you got my answers yet?” he demanded rudely. 

“Sir? This is Project Gotterdammerung calling. We just received reports of an assassination attempt in the containment facility, we…” 

The mayor swore under his breath. Operation Gotter-whatever-rung was killing the profit he earned. In the past few years it had become more of a liability than of an asset, a project he could no longer place his faith in. Would it be too late to take action? 

“Don’t tell me something I know, private. I was just going to bed when you losers interrupted me. Finish your business and leave me in peace.” 

“Sir, it’s the power lines. We’re doing another demonstration in 15 minutes. This time should work.” 

“You mean you’re mining the Helium-3 again?” 

“Uhh….yes sir.” the private on the other end chewed on his paw. Good soldiers should not be lying to their superiors. 

“For you personal safety we advise you not to attend sir,” he continued, “Just sleep tight with you guards. There may be a power-cutout a few minutes later. I’m merely saying that it’s perfectly normal in the procedure, sir, it’s been expected and the power should be up again in a jiffy.” 

“Damn, ZERB, you gotta get it right this time.” 

“We definitely will…” 

“Or before you know it I’ll send my guards over and smash up whatever shit you’ve got in that foxhole1” He slammed the phone down furiously. 

Above him the lights to the office flickered and dimmed. Mayor Lionheart shut off his computer and decided to call it a night instead. He did not intend to mess with whatever shit the ZERB was coming with….it was just an obstacle in his career. 

Before he could do anything the huge doors to his office banged open. Dozens of ZPD officers swarmed into his office, tranquilizers raised and pointed at him. What the hell was happening? Come on, where was the respect he deserved? His guards stood next to him protectively, their paws already on their holsters. 

Mayor Lionheart motioned for them to not to resist, and went willingly towards the guards. It wasn’t going to take long. 

 

~300 Miles Away~ (Power Station E-14)

The panther put down his phone in shock. It wasn’t the first time the mayor threatened to close down the project but for some reason it felt the most realistic. He...he was nervous for his future. For how the government and mayor would react to what they had been building in the facility all along. 

He was the son of one the earliest generations of the ZCID, the investigation group with more powers than the ZPD. As his father died all the knowledge of the Incident and Project Gotterdammerung had been passed down to him. He had been welcomed into the ZERB’S circle, fresh new meat to be used and relied upon. He was now doing things he could not even telling his wife….they were actually trying to open a portal! A wormhole to possibly another dimension, or even another time in the distant past or future. 

He rubbed his temples, trying to banish the mind-boggling facts that always bothered him. The scientific knowledge of their world was primitive, barely sufficient to understand how all the existing power of all the power stations in the city combined could be connected together and used to increase the transparency of the portal, the condition needed in order for anything to be transferred interdimensionally. As one of the project’s scientists he knew the portal was only 15% open in terms of interdimensional transparency, only 3% more than what it had been 20 years ago when they turned to the development of the portal instead of mining the Helium 3. 

He put on his radio headphones and listened for his orders. In a few minutes they were going to unlock the power and energy lines from the city to the facility, disabling all electrical functioning in the metropolis and instead transferring all of the energy needed to the ZERB’s needs. It wasn’t safe of course, to negotiate and even reveal their existence to either other government institutions or the public. So they just sent teams of engineers to alter the lines slightly, adapting them to their own use little by little. It was ready now. 

Their mission was to increase the transparency of the portal to at least 30% tonight, and enable a long-term opening of the wormhole. This was the first part of the Project that they had envisioned for so long. Radio messages could get through by 35%, solid matter by 55%. Organic matter had to wait until 75%, and use up a massive amount of energy for every transfer. Naturally, they also had to wait for the safety of the wormhole to be confirmed.Otherwise, the panther smiled to himself, they could always find some test subjects… 

He had carefully calculated the amount of energy they needed. Without any assistance in the form of power from the other side, the entire amount of electricity generated by the power stations alone was barely enough to send the transparency up to 35%. What really was tempting to the scientists was that, the electrical current leftover was still sufficient to keep the portal running for an indefinite amount of time. 

The scientist looked at his screen. The countdown had begun. The numbers began to flash before his eyes. 10, 9, 8, 7...he shut his eyes and waited. Project Gotterdammerung rested on this fateful moment. 

Energy began to trickle from the city to the power station. The panther watched on as he monitored the amount of energy passing through the power lines to the reactors. It was a carefully-controlled procedure, observing extremely strict protocol. Everything had to be just right---they were careful not to let too much energy go through the channels. Nothing was allowed to go wrong. They all knew even a slight mistake was enough to deem the entire experiment a failure. 

The energy accumulated was building up. There would soon be enough to increase the transparency. The scientists watched in awe as what they had planned on paper decades ago became true before their very eyes. It had taken decades for the ZERB to reconstruct the facility from top to bottom, recreating and expanding what the power station had been before the Incident 45 years ago. They observed in silence as their computer screens showed them the newest data from the generators, automatically commencing the transparency increase. Everyone held their breath. At this point, the reactors were either going to work successfully….or explode like 45 years ago. 

The entire hall cheered in joy as the screens showed the change in the portal’s transparency---it was growing slowly, percent by percent. The reactors had held successfully. 

Dr. Sturmer, now aged and wrinkled watched on from the balcony, the ghost of a smile growing on his lips. His legacy was just beginning. There was still much more to come. 

Xi’an, China ICED Research Facility A.D. 2016 

The late-night controller stifled a yawn as he counted the long seconds till dawn. He was one of the few still on duty in the “weakness point” containment chamber, the others all as tired and sleepy as he was. His computer screen was forever linked to the ever-constant data of the portal---transparency, stability….he was sure nothing had changed in the past 5 years. Damn, he couldn’t even switch the computer system to Weibo and search up something interesting. It had taken 4 years for all those “brains” to come up with a hypothesis, an equation of how a massive amount of energy generated from the nearby brand-new nuclear station could cause a breakthrough in the space-time continuum, enabling the transference of radio waves, solid...or even organic matter. 

Of course, it all had to wait. The wormhole had just been confirmed, known to only the best of the country’s scientific elite. There was naturally a huge logistics challenge, of how so much power could be acquired and safely used to increase the transparency and stability of the portal. But still nobody had questioned the Chinese Government when they suddenly planted the giant of a nuclear station out of nowhere, the residence of at least ¼ of the world’s nuclear fuel rods. That was a damn lot of fuel. However they had been told the Helium 3 waiting on the other side was enough to put the number of fuel rods to shame. 

Assistant-Engineer Zhao Feng was just about to stretch his legs and buy another late cup of tea from the canteen when something flickered on his monitor. His first thought was that it had been another quick alteration of the wormhole stability, which always varied on the time of day. Sometimes it was even safe enough to send through organic matter….provided that they could amass enough energy of course. But curiosity soon got the better of him, and he planted himself once again unwillingly into his swivel chair and did a quick check through the portal data. 

“Temperature, check. Humidity, check. Stability, normal, Transparency….” he muttered in Chinese as he ran his eyes through the newest analysis. “Transparency….27%??” 

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Had he been drinking too much tea lately? He pressed the refresh button on the screen and waited impatiently for it to load. He then rubbed his eyes and hurriedly scrolled down to where the transparency figure was located. His jaw dropped open, and his pair of pupils widened greatly. It was true. The transparency of the portal was increasing. 

It was slowly growing, perhaps one percent every 5 minutes. He knew clearly this wasn’t the work of his institution….the nuclear generators were still turned off, unused and clean. If so, what had been the entity that was powering the wormhole? There was only one possibility left. Zhao had always dismissed it when his colleagues mentioned it to him, but one of Sherlock Holme’s axioms immediately came to mind.

“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” 

His hand instinctively reached for his walkie talkie, hardly used nowadays apart from the occasional banter or so. This time, his fingers switched the channel to “Exclusive”, the highly secretive one that was connected directly to Central Command, reserved for emergencies only. Well, he thought, this definitely is something worthwhile. 

He pressed the speak button and his voice instantly reached the loudspeakers of Central Command, one of the numerous rooms in the huge facility. The fatigued workers looked up, interested in what Zhao had to say. 

“Guys….I think we may have just found something, I mean someone on the other side.” 

 

~18 hours later~ 

The portal containment room was crammed full of scientists from all around the country, clipboards in hand and asking each other the most unanswerable question that nobody had the answers to yet. Zhao found himself the center of attention, his workplace crowded and swarming with the country’s top elite lining up just to interrogate him about the night’s events over and over again. 

“Are you positive that you saw the transparency level going up?” a huge bald scientist had demanded of him impatiently.

‘Yes, sir.” Zhao replied. ‘I’m 100% sure I saw the levels going up.” 

“Can you show us the data please?” a petite, young lady spoke this time, “I’m the Chief Engineer on the site. I’m quite confident the last time I checked the transparency was still 25%, the same as 5 years ago when we just started.”   
Zhao shrugged. ‘See for yourself.” he turned the monitor over to the flock of curious researchers. 

The transparency level had definitely changed. It was still going up 4 hours ago, then it had abruptly stopped and failed to climb higher. Maybe the entity on the other side experienced a major power failure….it had a certain high risk of blowing up. Yet the increase was tremendous. It had changed from 25% to 33% in the space of 4 hours. The amount of energy they had used must be unimaginable! 

The chatter grew, the number of confused voices increasing and soon Zhao found himself swarmed by even more scientists, some of whom he had often seen being interviewed on CCTV, the state television. Before long, he couldn’t take the interrogation any longer, the millions of voices cramming themselves into his mind. He was just standing away from his desk to leave the room when the entire containment facility was plunged into silence. 

President Zhou strode in, his face even more powerful than it had been portrayed on television. His presence seemed to fill the whole room, even though he was only about 5 feet 6 inches in height. Instantly the room exploded into applause, the scientists delighted to see their president and leader amongst themselves. The president waved at the crowd for a few moments before raising his hand for silence, as if he were a conductor conducting the symphony of an orchestra. 

In the next half hour Zhao was continuously questioned by the president and the rest of his staff, who nodded their heads and wrote something down whenever the young engineer mentioned anything. It had been concluded that the irregular bursts of energy from the other side had been artificial and not natural, the frequency having being recorded by the sensors implemented near the portal. It was also believed by the Chinese Government that the entity that caused the increase of transparency was a civilized race, similar to or even more advanced than Earth in terms of technology. 

Humans have always been afraid of the unknown. This time wasn’t any different. There was almost immediately a debate in the room, an argument of whether the development work on the portal should continue. The scientists had been much in favor of mining the Helium 3, being exposed to the real effects global warming had on humanity on the environment. There might not be an Earth to protect if they did not seek actively an alternative source of fuel, sufficient for a century’s use. 

The PLA, however had different views. They insisted that the entity on the other side might cause a security problem to the People’s Republic, and whatever race that possessed enough technological assets to develop such a wormhole must be advanced enough to pose a threat to the well being of the nation. The PLA representatives complained that more units would have to be sent to the facility to safeguard the portal, which may soon cause attention from the public. 

The argument might have went on if the president had not ordered for the work to continue. Zhao listened in pleasure as his leader decreed that researching for obtaining Helium 3 was definitely worthwhile no matter in any means, ordering directly that additional PLA units be sent in to the site to protect the equipment and personnel from whatever entity that lay on the other side. The generals accompanying him reluctantly agreed, and excused themselves briefly to make telephone calls to Beijing. 

So it was decided. The nuclear power plant was to be thrown directly into service the next day, the workers being selected from various power stations from all over the country. The president also agreed as a compromise with the military to demand peacekeeping units from the UN in addition to the troops the PLA was sending in. Before he left for the airport, Zhou had entrusted in Zhao to successfully lead the operation of the ICED, and personally promoted him to one of the leading scientists in the scheme. Zhao couldn’t have been more honored. 

But there were still problems to be solved. How would they communicate with the entity, once the portal was stable enough for communicating? How would they react to humanity’s existence? Was there enough power generated in the nuclear facility to power the portal? Well, the hardest parts of the project had already been completed by the entity. It was time for them to do their part. It shouldn’t be hard to power the final percentage to allow radio exchange. 

With a huge responsibility now on his shoulders, Zhao set off to work. He still had much to do before daybreak. 

 

~4 Days Later~ 

“All power lines functionable and awaiting transfer, sir!” the engineer announced as the team did their final checks on the reactors. The nuclear power station was fully operationable now, the fuel rods being used at a tremendous rate to feed the hungry generators used to turn on the portal. 

Zhao looked through the recently-installed bullet-proof glass into the containment chamber, where the weakness point had been located all those years ago. It was ready for his commands. Communication experts sent by the ICED had already developed a type of communications device, a machine capable of sending and receiving radio waves interdimensionally. Provided that the aliens understood their language, which was extremely unlikely under the circumstances. Meanwhile sensors had been set up close to the weakness point (WP), extremely powerful mechanisms that were able to sense body heat and radio signals on the other side, a substitution for the invention of the ICED which had not yet arrived. 

Different representatives from the ICED nations had already been flown in, working on various logistics and scientific challenges presented to them by the endeavour. It had been decided at the start that more information on the other side was required. Thus half of them had set off to work almost without rest to develop a type of stealth unmanned probe, complete with cameras and devices to possibly extract specimens. These inventions only seemed like fantasies in Zhao’s mind.

Slowly, the energy from the nuclear power station was channeled through the 10 major pipes, still new and clean despite being constructed 10 years ago. Everything had to be brand new for this to work, a nearly impossible feat in the terms of today’s scientific knowledge. The squad of researchers had their eyes glued onto their monitors as the generators accumulated the electricity, waiting until a sufficient amount had been stored up. Zhao knew if anything went wrong now in the programme, the reactors might burn out...or even worse. 

He could scarcely keep his eyes open as the energy level reached the desired amount. His trembling hands reached for the bright red lever covered by a glass lid on his desk. Hesitantly, he flipped over the lid and pulled the lever. There would be no turning back. 

He sighed in relief as the energy accumulated gradually began to react with the portal, the WP shimmering behind the glass. There was probably tons of radiation behind the bulletproof material right now, the containment technology barely strong enough to keep it out. The dose inside the chamber was possibly even lethal by now, and would need to be cleared out before human access. But that would have to wait. 

Clicking on other buttons, Zhao authorized the full commencement of transparency increasement. The generators came to life and processed the massive amounts of power already stored up, unlocking the wires that would allow them to react when in contact with the WP. It was all a gamble. Would this endeavour, only a hypothesis recently proved on paper, be possible in real life? 

 

~Power Station E-14, Zootopia~ 

“Sir! Something’s changing!” 

The panther looked up from his magazine to see the PV (Point of Vulnerability) shimmer, the surface of the portal reacting with huge amounts of energy. Hastily his paws ran through the energy processing data----who had authorized the sudden transfer of energy? Without strict protocol the reactors were going to blow up! The portal might even be devastated, the only flaw in the system resumed to normal. His mind was in full-blown panic mode, one of his paws reaching for the “Abort” lever. The rest of his staff gasped and pointed anxiously at the portal locked down in the containment chamber, the radiation indicators going off scale. 

The panther instantly knew something was not right. This was not the type of energy they used. 

In the next 5 minutes he confirmed with the Energy Authority in the facility that all the power lines to the power stations outside the city had been blocked, safe the few that brought electricity to the facility’s personnel use. He was confused, bewildered even, of where the energy had come from. 

He recalled of the experiment they had down nearly a day ago. It had been partially successful, proving that the reactors did work and the energy generated was enough to react with the wormhole and stabilize it, even though the major power failure last night forced the ZERB to temporarily abort the experiment and wait until enough energy was accumulated once again. Meanwhile the portal transparency had only been increased to 35%, not even enough to send radio waves through it. There was still a major problem looming ahead of them. 

Suddenly an idea clicked on Chief Engineer Taylor’s mind. He opened the recording of the sensors, the devices devoted to measure how much the transparency had increased. He could see the transparency was rising steadily, already 5% higher than where they had left off. What forces could be at work? His own certainly weren’t responsible for it. In a few minutes the wormhole had stabilized considerably and the transparency had already reached 40%. 

The risk and danger of radiation leaking out caused enough panic to throw the entire place into frenzy. The emergency alarm had been triggered, announcements made from the klaxons carefully located all over the compound. Different calls had been placed to various units of the ZERB within the facility, the squad of scientists apart from Taylor being fully evacuated. The research compound was in full lockdown, no vehicles being allowed in or out. The orders continued to squawk through his radio. 

“Order in the 1st Containment Unit! Report immediately!” 

“Who the hell authorized the energy transfer?” 

“Get everyone the hell out of here! The radiation is going off the scale!” 

These frantic commands continued to be transmitted ceasely until Taylor decided to turn off his wireless. Couldn’t they see everything was actually fine?

But fortunately the reactors didn’t buckle and the radiation was firmly contained inside the chamber. More and more guards in primitive radiation protective suits stormed in, yelling orders at everyone they knew. They were actually preparing to seal the place down. The panther knew the consequences of a leak. The entire area around the compound would have to be completely evacuated, the civilians taken to some other place for treatment. The facility had to be sealed off no matter what. 

Then the truth hit him, the theory that he had listened to so many times yet disbelieved every ounce of it. He double-checked the energy input of the generators. There had almost been none after the experimental failure. Had it been the leftover current? Impossible. The energy that remained wasn’t even enough to raise the transparency by 1%, let alone by 15% more. Only one possibility remained…. 

There were creatures on the other side. 

 

~Xi’an, China (ICED Research Facility) ~ 

All was going well. The research team continued to monitor the process in satisfaction as the energy gradually trickled through the power lines. It had paid off to have them replaced several months ago, with newer and improved equipment from the US that could take up and transmit at least 5 times as much energy than the last one. Unlike their counterparts in Zootopia, their nuclear power plant was much more sophisticated than any other in the world, and was devoted to the facility alone, providing much more energy and power than all the Zootopian power stations could combined. 

Zhao continued his watch in satisfaction. On his computer screen he could see that the transparency had just risen to 63%, the surface of the portal continuing to shimmer endlessly. He really hoped that their anti-radiation equipment was strong enough to keep everything in. It just wasn’t worth it to give everything up at this point. 

“Okay! Enough! Stop the transmission!” he ordered. 

Instantly the nuclear reactors stopped giving off electricity, the entire compound falling silent. Inside the containment area the WP continued to shimmer, the leftover electrical current sufficient to keep it open for a while. Zhao walked over to the main screen and checked the transparency meter. It had just reached 65%, sufficient for radio waves to be sent and received. Fortunately, organic matter could still not be transferred….just yet. The PLA units could wait. 

The researchers held their breath as some of their colleagues turned on their sensors, the devices used to detect radio activity and body heat on the other side. These innovations were more powerful than anything the world had ever seen before, merely fantasies of the normal human. They had been fully turned off during the reaction period, lest that their functioning would cause a disruption in the transparency. It was finally time to check for signs of life. 

One of the men at the controller’s desk threw off his earphone and whispered something to the woman next to Zhao. She opened her eyes in disbelief and shock and turned to her superior. 

“Sir,” she addressed Zhao, “You gotta see this.” 

The duo walked over to where the operator was sitting. The short man at the table motioned for them to put own the 2 pairs of earphones prepared for them on the desk. Curiously, Zhao put them on and hear what had been detected from the other side. What he heard would throw him into shock. 

“Send in the 1st Containment Unit! Report immediately!” 

“Commander Sturmer what’s the status quo?” 

“The radiation levels are going off scale!” 

He put down his earphones and stared breathlessly at his colleagues. What he head was in clear English….in an American accent to be exact. He turned to the operator. 

“What was that?” he demanded, “Is that from New York? From the downtown metropolis? What is it, man? Where did it come from?” 

“From...from the other side, sir!” the man stammered. 

“It’s….it’s impossible! They...I mean we share the same language! How absurd is that?” The possibilities of that happening were probably one in a billion. Or even more. 

“It’s the only explanation, sir.” Unlike him the female was unnaturally composed, unusually calm, as if she had been dealing with cases like this for her whole life. “It’s time we got in contact. We may even be able to obtain the Helium 3.” 

Zhao gulped and wiped off his sweat. Their confusion clearly meant they were as in the dark as humanity was. They probably didn’t know another entity was trying to contact them either. He wondered if a negotiation could be undertaken, a deal to obtain the Helium 3 they needed. He pondered upon if force might be necessary. 

He needed to know more first. 

“Sir!” another operator announced, “We just detected body heat on the other side! There’s at least 50 of them!” 

“Run an analysis.” he ordered, “let’s see what they are carrying and wearing.” 

The Analysis was another new creation from the students in Beijing, a systematic rundown that could accurately picture what materials were present in the area scanned. 

“Will do, sir” 

The visual came up a few minutes later. 

“They..they seem to be pointing some sort of weapon towards the WP, sir! There’s an unidentified liquid attached to the weapon. It...it might be some sort of tranquilizer.” 

“Do we need to call in the PLA?” 

“No.” the word came in heavily from Zhao’s lips. “They are probably as afraid as we are.” 

“Tell me, Doctor Song. Is it possible to send a solid object through the wormhole with this rate of stability and transparency?” 

The woman thought for a few moments before answering, “It might succeed, sir...we just need to keep the reactors running, that’s all.” 

Zhao smiled and folded his arms, creasing his white laboratory shirt, “Excellent.” he muttered, “Bring me the ICS (Interdimensional Communications System) from Lab-4C. There’s no time to lose.”

Humanity was probably in a superior state. They knew what was happening, and had full control over the situation. Military units already were on the standby, ready to defend their world in case a conflict happened. The Zootopians on the other hand, were still bewildered and running around in circles. Would a deal be possible between the two worlds? 

~3 days later (Power Station E-14, Zootopia)~ 

“What the hell is that?” Taylor exclaimed as he took the heavy, metallic object in his hands. It had been taken from the containment room a few hours ago, when the radiation was finally cleared and safe for mammal access. Still the personnel and object retrieved had to go through the messy detoxification process, which seriously delayed his research schedule. Didn’t they know he was a busy mammal? They could have sent him the object directly through detox….he didn’t mind dying as long it was for the cause of science! 

He prised open the lid of the object. It was actually more like a flap rather than a lid, opening to reveal a keyboard-like tab complete with buttons in their own language. On closer inspection there was a glass screen on one side of the lid, similar to the ones he used on a computer. This device seemed like a small computer, one that could be carried anywhere instead of attached at one’s workplace. 

Imagine his surprise when the sensors detected the transfer of a solid object! He had never considered the possibility of the existence of another entity on the other side, let alone one that possessed the technology to increase the transparency and send them objects! The civilization on the other side must be much more advanced, maybe even whole decades ahead of them. The arrival of the object sparked another debate within the research teams, whore were deeply divided over what to do with it. They still had no means of transferring anything back there, so sending a gift or returning the object was out of the question. The second option originated from the fears that the object was a bomb in disguise, one that had the capability to destroy the entire compound once triggered. Indeed, it was mysterious yet tempting, and Taylor had to use almost all of his own private connections to keep it in the area, and grant himself clearance to be the lone few to be allowed to tamper with it. 

Now that he thought of it, the object did indeed resemble the appearance of a computer. It had a keyboard with fully functional Zootopian Language Keys on it, almost indifferent from the models they used. Taylor still had no idea of how the Entity on the other side had so much knowledge of their own civilization, sufficient to reconstruct a computer in their own language. 

He turned the object over on his lap and tried to search with his hands any inscriptions written on the smooth hard material the device was made of. Soon his hands located several protrudes on the lower half of the ‘computer”. With extreme caution, he lifted the bottom of the device up to the light to be inspected. 

“Made in China.” it read. 

Again, the message was in clear Zootopian. Where the hell was China? And how did the Entity know so much about their civilization anyway?

Unless, of course, they shared a common language. 

As he explored the device he found a slip of paper, tucked between the lid and the keyboard. Carefully he pulled it out, keen to read what it had to say. He gently unfolded the parchment and his eyes bore into the words printed onto it, the words on it almost indifferent from how the printers and computers in his world worked. 

He groaned in disappointment as he flipped through the first page, which was printed in some sort of illegible scribbles that he was quite sure no one in this world could decipher. He tried another page. To his delight it was written in his own language, and printed carefully as if they had also used a computer. It was almost impossible for him to guess that the 2 worlds shared such uncanny similarities. 

The paper turned out to be an instruction sheet, a carefully-written tutorial on how to operate the weird device. Another idea popped within the scientist’s mind. Could it be that the object was a communications device? Were the Others trying to communicate with them? A million other thoughts exploded inside his brain, but he pushed them aside and concentrated on the piece of paper. 

Half an hour later he smiled proudly as the monitor flickered into life. It was at this moment that he noticed how similar the screen was to the monitors of his own world. He was flabbergasted, his scientific mind overwhelmed with the impossibility of events. Yet he continued on. It had already been hard enough to turn on the device, having to guess several terms such as “mouse”. It had taken him ages to figure out it meant the miniature device that was connected by a wire to the object! For a while he was actually tempted to order one of the mice from the lab up to substitute the job. 

There was a tab installed onto the homepage, or so it was called. Using the “mouse” to navigate, his inexperienced paws clicked onto the only tab on the screen, marked with some scribbles and a clear Zootopian sentence: 

“Messaging 通讯录” 

His eyes could barely keep up with the speed the device processed things, the screen being thrown into some sort of app that resembled those he used to communicate with his friends and family. There was only one contactee listed on the page, named in scribbles. Thus came the last part of the instructions. 

“Click on the contactee marked 赵博士 (Professor Zhao).” 

Hesitantly he guided the mouse and left-clicked on the contactee. He was led into some sort of new page, extremely similar to the apps he used daily. It amazed him to see how much the Others had known about their civilization before coming into contact with them. Unlike his colleagues Taylor wasn’t afraid, nor nervous for that matter. He was prepared to see whatever opportunities the Others might present him with, eager to gain any advantage he could obtain. 

Should he type anything? 

Before he could even make up his mind a message appeared onto the “messages” screen. It was in clear Zootopian, and not in the scribbles he had seen inscribed onto the first page of the instructions sheet. 

“Greetings.” 

“Uhh….hello?” Taylor answered. The keys on the keyboard were on the exactly same spots as the devices he constantly used. 

“We are the entity that helped you transparify the wormhole.” 

“You are the ones that increased it to 65%? Where did all your energy come from? How did it work? We have tried countless times already, with only partial success.”

“Don’t worry. We are here to help. All will be answered soon.” came the reply. 

“What do I call you? I’m not fluent in your scribbles, sorry.” 

The message this time was slower, and a bit ruder than the previous ones. 

“You may call me Professor Zhao. Zhao Feng, to be exact. If we are to enjoy a pleasant partnership please oblige to treat our culture with respect. It’s called Chinese, not Scribbles, although some of our people also share your language.” 

So the Others wanted to cooperate. Fascinating. 

“Greetings, Professor Zhao. My name is Doctor Taylor Paulson, one of the leading scientists of the ZERB. I’m very much willing to work with you, as there is much we are distressed with.” 

“Thank you. I am the chief engineer of our own project, with almost unlimited amount of resources on our side. You know, we are very much interested in trading, especially in exchange for some of that Helium 3…” 

The messages went on and on. Taylor tried his best to comprehend what Zhao had suggested. It would take them months, even years to finish their negotiations. But their fruits of success would be unimaginable. His father’s wish would finally be completed, only 5 years after his death. 

He lifted the radio to his lips, the object forgotten temporarily for now. 

“Sturmer? We’ve got a breakthrough.”


	4. Torn in Some Places

Chapter 4: Torn in Some Places

 

2 Years After the Movie 

Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2064   
Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 2018 

Location: Apartment 23H, Second floor, Prosperous Estate, 305 Mooseville Avenue, Zootopia. 

Time: 5:30 am 

 

The first fox cop cursed under his breath as he struggled to stretch his arm out from under the double layer of blankets, desperately groping the tabletop for his digital clock . Jeez, why did cops have to wake up when the sky wasn’t even light? Didn’t they have a night shift or something? Nicholas Wilde sat up and pushed the thick layer of cotton away, slamming his paw onto the snooze button. The ringing of the alarm ceased at once, allowing the tiny little bedroom to fall into silence once more. 

Nick rubbed his eyes and forced his heavy eyelids to stay open. He took a quick glance outside of his apartment from the filthy little window overlooking Mooseville Avenue. Damn, it was still pitch dark out there, the usual bustle of the streets but a distant memory. He missed his old routine of being a con, waking up whenever he wanted, eating junk all day long….but yet the thought of being with his partner was enough to drive all those temptations away. Judy Hopps was one of the few that actually cared about him, shared her emotions with him, and was his only confidant in the whole wide world.

Summoning all of his energy, he stood up from bed, his legs still woozy from being asleep for so long. The cop pulled open the drawer next to his bed and grabbed out his watch, the precious little mechanism that had been his birthday present from the bunny. He would never ever allow himself to part with it, the best gift he had received over the years. Sure, it wasn’t expensive, it wasn’t designer brand----but the person who had given it to him was worth much more to him than any of those other brands combined. 

He checked the time, the hands on the watch barely readable in the darkness. Crap. He was already 5 minutes late. What would Judy even say to him when she arrived 10 minutes later and saw him still naked all over, the morning breath still hanging around in his mouth? He chuckled a bit at the thought. Nick knew perfectly well how much his partner hated nudity. 

But the thought of her getting mad at him was already sufficient to act as his motivation. Terribly anxious, Nick rushed into the bathroom and prepared himself for the long day ahead at the station with Ol’ Buffalo Butt. Who knew what the psychopath himself had in mind for the duo that day? Like always, Nick knew it almost certainly depended on his mood. 

But that never stopped him from pissing him off. It was simply too tempting. 

 

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 

9 minutes later Nick found himself at the door of his flat, finishing the final inspection of his uniform before the bunny’s arrival. He understood how picky and tidy she was towards him, telling him off jokingly when even a single crease was found by her vigilant eyes somewhere on his uniform. Did she really want him to be spotless that way? It just wasn’t...well, him.

“Seems like someone’s finally punctual today.” a voice came from behind Nick’s back as he was just locking the door to the apartment. 

“Just another of those hardships I do gladly for you, Carrots.” the fox turned around to face his best friend, “You know how hard it is for me to wake up.” 

Judy winked at him, a grin appearing on her face. “Okay, uniform check?” 

Nick rolled his eyes sarcastically but let her pat him down anyways, enjoying the gentle touch of her paws on his body. 

“Cap, check. Badge, check. Notebook and pen, check!” she muttered to herself as she searched from high to low, forcing herself to find at least one imperfection on Nick’s uniform. One could say it was her favorite pastime these days, pretending to chew her partner off. It was almost as if she was his big sister. 

“Officer Nick Wilde?” she suspiciously questioned the smug red fox in front of her, “Where’s your watch? Don’t you dare say you’ve lost it...” 

Smiling, Nick raised his left wrist at her, the light in the hallway reflecting off the immaculate glass on the watch’s face.  
“Check.” he answered with a smug grin.

The unlikely partners each picked up a sandwich at the fast food joint downstairs, the only eatery operating at this early point of day. As they walked from Nick’s apartment to the station, the 15 minute walk seemed to pass by in moments as they talked to each other non-stop on the road, the only noise on the streets emanating from their conversation. 

“Uh...Carrots? What’s in your sandwich?” Nick asked Judy as he bit into his meal, a thin slice of salmon squashed between two slices of white bread. Ewww. Being expensive did not necessarily make something taste good. 

“Mine?” Judy raised her eyebrow at him as she continued to wolf down her sandwich. “Wilde, is that question even necessary? Gosh, dumb fox!” she laughed. 

“Eww, sly bunny, you’re spraying out more crumbs and carrots than a harvester! Keep your mouth shut when you’re eating, will you?” Nick drew back horrified, a mock expression of appellation on his face. 

“Cut that out, you.” Judy ordered as she delivered a cut punch to his arm. “I technically outrank you, you know.” 

Nick rolled his eyes. “Of course, sergeant.” 

Judy hopped up and ruffled the fur at the top of Nick’s head. “Now that’s a good boy. Now finish your breakfast.” She had already thrown away the food wrapper. Damn, that bunny was quick! Nick mentally added eating to his secret note of what bunnies did the fastest. 

 

“Yes, mother.” he groaned as he stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth. 

The ZPD Main Station was the only building on the street to have its lights fully on, a lone beacon in the sea of darkness. As the bunny and the fox strode in the lobby, they could already make outthe chubby silhouette of the cheetah fervently digging his paws into another box of snacks, inhaling one jelly doughnut after another. 

“Morning, Ben.” Nick yawned as he greeted the cop. “Geez, don’t you get tired from moving that jaw of yours so much?” he joked. 

“Nah, at least not with these little dickens!” Clawhauser laughed as he kissed his last doughnut before stuffing it like the many others before it into his mouth. 

How did he ever get through training? Nick mumbled to himself as the receptionist dug into another plastic bag of delicacies. 

“Umm, Judy? Are you alright? You seem a bit green around the gills, if you know what I mean.” Ben questioned, eyeing the bunny. 

“Uhh...yeah! I’m fit and ready for work!” she replied enthusiastically. While her voice seemed usual, Nick could notice there was something distinctly wrong with her.

That was to his trained eye of course. 

“Great to hear that.” Claw laughed, “Would hate to miss that lovable spirit of yours!” 

Judy smiled but said nothing in return. 

“Ummm, Carrots?” the fox whispered to his partner, “Is everything really alright?” 

Judy stared at him confusedly, as if he had said the most ridiculous thing on Earth. 

“I mean, don’t...I mean, feel free to take a break if you’re not really feeling well. I can cope for myself, trust me.”

“Nah, Nick.” she grinned, “the ZPD needs me. YOU need me. Who would type up our reports if I took a sick leave? And by the way, I’m great, honest.” 

Nick nodded anxiously. It had been over 2 years since they had started working as a team, and he soon found himself worrying and fussing so much over her. It was a hella lot of stress. But the fox always snapped to his senses and reminded himself that every moment he got to spend with her, take care of her was absolutely fantastic. 

It was from pure love alone. 

But which kind of love was it from? The platonic way you loved a friend, or the way one loved a….

“Psst, Nick? Nick?” the cheetah whispered urgently, “Come over here.” 

He beckoned for him to move towards him. Nick glanced at him curiously but did as he was told. 

Once Judy was out of earshot, Ben leaned towards Nick’s ear and asked excitedly, 

“You doing anything with her tonight?” 

Nick rolled his eyes. Every Friday morning, Ben unfailingly greeted him by urging him to go out with Judy with no exceptions. Well, he could see this week was to be no different. 

Wilde sighed heavily, “Ben, I’ve told you for many times that we are not dating.”

The cheetah leaned down to the fox’s height and whispered in his ears, “Courage, fox, courage. You gotta jump at the chance.”

Flabbergasted, Nick spread out both his arms in hopelessness, “What do you suggest I do then, huh?” 

The aroma of jelly donuts surrounded Nick’s vigilant nose, “Take her to a movie, go shopping, get a meal at a fancy restaurant…”

Hmm….the restaurant idea was actually quite tempting. He was getting tired of those Furnace takeaways every night, not bothering to cook at home alone being the bachelor he was. 

“See? I know you’re thinking it over.”

“It’s unusual for partners in the force to date, Claw. You’ve been here longer than I have.” The fox came to his senses.

“You know you love her,” all that came was a wink.

The fox opened his mouth in reply, but at that very moment it seemed as if every word was gagged down his throat. 

“Uhh, Ben? I hate to disturb you guys, but…” Judy glanced over to the two males, impatiently pointing at her own watch, “It’s about time for the roll-call. You wouldn’t want to be late if you were me, trust me.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Ben stammered jokingly and gently pushed the red fox towards his partner. “Remember, Nick.” he whispered one last time, “You gotta try it out.” 

Nick nodded reluctantly, and with a grimace on his face waved to Clawhauser as the duo strode into the roll-call room, reporting for the day’s duty.

Ben sighed dreamily and muttered to himself, “I wonder if these two are going to work out JUST fine.” 

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 

6 minutes before the daily inspection by Chief Bogo, the bunny and the fox entered the room and amused themselves in their own ways. The meeting room was filled with mayhem, the other officers arm wrestling, chattering, and hollering at each other, combining together into a din of laughter and conversation. While Judy exchanged small talk with some others sitting next to her, especially the huge rhino who had grown close to her, Nick wandered around the room, not in loneliness but in hunt for victims whom he would prank and trick.

Judy couldn’t help but overhear several of his “victims” welp out or yell in shock as she tried to engage in conversation with her newfound friends. What was that fox up to? She nearly rolled her eyes and sighed at him as he made it back to his seat, battered, exhausted but entertained. She could notice more than a few hostile glances thrown their way, accompanied with the suspiciously hushed gossip from the groups over at the other side of the room. 

She turned to her best friend, “Nick, what was that about?” 

“Me? What did little ol’ me do again?” He just loved teasing the bunny. 

“I...I can’t believe you kept your pranking alive even after 2 years. Seriously, with this in mind I don’t blame them for mistrusting a fox cop.” 

Judy covered her mouth in shock as the reality of what she had just said hit her squarely. Disappointedly, Nick looked away, heartbroken by her rash comment. 

She tapped him lightly on the shoulder, “Hey…. I was just joking y’know. I’d never say that to anyone, let alone you of all mammals.”

Upon hearing that, a tiny smile returned to the fox’s lips, “I know, I know--- you’re the only one who actually stands up for me.”

“There’d be more if you stopped pranking the others.” the bunny chuckled in return.

He shrugged, “I don’t think my temptations can be withheld to find out.” 

 

A poster at the edge of a window caught his eye, one advertising the opening of a new vegetarian restaurant down at Precinct One. Without even asking, Nick already knew Carrots would love nothing more but to eat out there. The only thing left to do was ask---Ben’s proposition flooded his mind once more. He felt his voice stammer, the sweat running down his back as he turned to her, 

“Uhh, Judy, I just wanted to ask...to ask…” 

“To ask what?” her usual smile flashing across her face, always eager to help out when her best friend was in need. 

'I just wanted to…” 

Nick couldn’t even finish his sentence before the door to the room slammed open and the tall, authoritative figure of Chief Bogo strode in. Instantly, the entire room burst into uproar, the vast majority of the officers, save Nick and Judy, leaping up and beating their fists on the table. Judy turned her head and could see a few newbies at the back, confused with what their elders were doing. She smiled at them reassuringly, remembering how tough her job had been like at the start. 

The Chief put up his hoof for silence. Their colleagues slumped back into their seats, the facility finally plunging into silence. The buffalo put on his reading glasses and flicked through the progress report. 

“A couple of things to do today.” he announced, not bothering to even greet anyone in the room, “First things first. I know there are a couple of new recruits in the room today, and….I feel I’m supposed to introduce them one by one, but I guess I just don’t care. Deal with it.” He snapped a harsh glare to the back of the room, the new recruits breaking into a sweat. 

“Uhh, hey Ol’ Buff...I mean Bogo.” Nick laughed nervously, the usual con grin flashing back on his face, “They should have you as a clown at those birthday parties for kits...I’m sure the birthday kit is gonna have a birthday he’ll never forget,”

The entire room burst into laughter, even the most serious of them trying hard to hold back a smile. 

“That’s CHIEF Bogo to you.” the buffalo snapped angrily at the fox. Nick couldn’t help it. He was just SOOO stimulated when he saw Bogo getting pissed off---it was always worth the telling off that ensued. Yeah, yeah, he knew that Judy was on her his case for conning people in a cop’s uniform….but how much harm would a little joke do? 

“Assignments for today.” the chief continued to read through the daily assignments, often pairing up new recruits with experienced partners for the day, getting them used to the daily runabout of Precinct One. It seemed as if the Police Chief had finally gained some respect for the new recruits, some of them, not unlike Judy Hopps, rising up the ranks in a matter of weeks. 

“Delgado, McHorn, undercover...Billson, Grady, you two are going for security patrol…” the list droned on endlessly.

The fox and the bunny came last. 

“Ah, finally, the unlikely partners….Wilde and Hopps.” Chief Bogo stared down annoyedly at the two, “Special Mission. I can’t exactly go into details here….and I can’t be bothered to. Just ask Clawhauser for the case file, will you?You two better get crackin’.” Removing his reading glasses, the buffalo left the room, hurling it into chaos once again. 

“Jeez….what does that ol’ buffalo want with us?” Nick complaint as they collected the case file from Clawhauser, making their way up to the special media room for research, “This shit just gets dumber and dumber every day!” 

“Mind your language, Wilde!” Judy laughed as she skipped out of the elevator doors, “Just relax, okay? You know how good we are at cracking this kind of stuff.” 

“As if I haven’t tried. He’s really laid this one on us this time.” 

Judy pushed open the door to the special media room, nearly empty at this time of day, “Take it easy, Nick. Just ZOO it. Heh, geddit?” 

Nick sighed and grimaced at her bad joke, bracing himself for the project which was going to engulf them for the next 48 hours. 

It was another case far away from the city, not even near the suburbs and the farms where Judy had come from. It was miles from nowhere, the location pinpointed on the map so vague that even Nick doubted if he’d be able to find the place with his con experience. And he’d thought he had travelled everywhere! At that moment, Nick really wished that someone out there could invent some sort of drone or airborne device that would do all the tracking and mapping for him...heh, were his fantasies getting wilder and wilder or what? He was no scientist after all!

“So….counterfeit currency producers to the north…” Judy mumbled as she flicked through the case file, only a few pages deep. Nick already knew it was going to be a hard approach, “150 miles south-west of Gopherville….wow….that’s a heck of a long way to go!” 

“Ever thought of stopping by Bunnyburrow?” Nick joked sarcastically. 

“Nah, Nick….know your geography! My hometown is to the south, you dumb fox…..you wouldn’t like it if I stopped there, anyway.” 

Nick couldn’t help but laugh and agree with her. He’d had enough of her parents asking if they’d already started dating and whatnot….his paws were literally flooded with sweat every time. And what was with those little bunnies and fox fur anyway? They just couldn’t stop pulling his fur off the last time he visited. 

The fox tried to concentrate on the report as time passed on, forcing his eyes not to look at his partner but at his report, the tiny words nearly blinding his vision. Half an hour later, he had learnt the following things: 

They were going after a criminal Gang known as the Creators, specializing in melting up coins made for larger mammals such as elephants and recasting them into many more smaller ones, circulating them into service. 

Their HQ was supposedly 350 miles away from the city centre, even out of the regional security’s reach. They were investigating on the behalf of the Precinct 1’s detective branch, devoted to slamming cases on counterfeit currency, especially in faraway places out of conventional reach.

He had never known that Judy’s ears looked so attractive when she was concentrating. 

Nick was going to continue with the list, adding more and more about how Judy looked amazing when the bunny looked up and glanced at him suspiciously. Damn, he had never been caught red-handed before. 

 

“Uhh, Nick? Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked uncomfortably, clearly trying to avoid his stare. Nick instinctively looked down guiltily, afraid to meet her glance. 

“Nothing, all’s great over here.” he replied sarcastically and mumbled something about endless reports. 

On the other side of the table, Judy knew exactly what Nick was going through. Now she wouldn’t be a real bunny if her ears were meant only for decoration, would she? She had overheard everything earlier that morning, and she understood how Nick felt inside. But….she wasn’t exactly ready. As intimate as they already were, she just wasn’t prepared to take the giant leap from friends to...she avoided the word.

“Great.” Judy forced herself to smile, “Just focus your eyes on your file….and not on something else, ‘kay?” 

Nick got the message. But he wasn’t interested in reading, at least no longer. He buried his snout into some old maps of the suburbs, ones yellowed by age or torn in some places. He sighed heavily. What was happening to him? The fox felt uncannily like the maps, his restless heart already torn in some places. 

Judy couldn’t help but feel sorry for her partner. She felt like leaning across the desk and patting him on the back, giving him a hug, whatever that might cheer him up. But circumstances were different this time, weren’t it? Every time her eyes made contact with his slumped silhouette, she just couldn’t stop blaming herself. 

 

After what seemed like an eternity, she groaned and slammed the case file shut. Even she was trying hard to concentrate, the miserable heat in the room barely endurable. She looked at the clock on the hall. It was already 45 minutes past noon. 

Time sure flies when you’re not having fun, she thought. 

“Alright, Nick. Wanna get some lunch with me?” 

His classical grin crept slowly back onto his face. 

“You bet. I’m starving!” 

The two made it just in time to catch the last seats available, a decent amount of officers already gathered in the canteen to catch a quick bite. Judy began munching on her salad greedily while Nick patiently sipped on his latte, savoring every moment he had with her. Boy, that bunny must have been starved! Nick had barely begun on his own dish when Judy had already finished hers, letting out a huge burp that just wasn’t her. Fortunately for Nick, in her haste she hadn’t noticed how attracted he was directing every possible glance innocently at his partner. He was pretending to flick through one of the older maps when she got up and threw the plastic carton away. 

“Well, Nick, I’ve calculated the distance….”, she addressed him in her professional mood, the tone she had cultivated so well over the years of service, “it’s approximately 410 miles away from here. I’m afraid it’s gonna take some time.” 

Nick slid on his shades. “Heck, Carrots, that’s a long way to go. You sure you don’t need a potty break?” 

“Most bunnies can hold pretty well, thank you. It’s going to take us around 3 and a half hours to get there, along different highways and even a few submerged areas! Sweet cheese and crackers...I’ve read through the info, and those facilities are spooky! I mean, some of them haven’t even been used for 15 years! 

“Mortals can break my bones, but dead mammals can never hurt me.” he gulped down a final morsel of his food.

“Exactly.”

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The cruiser sped along the abandoned highway, the roadside advertisements long since faded and colourless. Nick hated to admit it, but the mood outside of their vehicle just continued to spook him. He kept reminding himself that he was travelling in a ZPD cruiser, and that he had the bravest officer and friend the ZPD had to offer right next to him. There was nothing to be afraid of. 

Beside him, Judy Hopps struggled to keep her eyes wide open despite being the lone vehicle on the deserted highway. There were no more limits to follow here, the paint that once indicated the different lanes barely identifiable. It wasn’t as if somebody was going to pop up and give the 2 cops a speeding ticket anyways. 

And yet the thoughts of her partner persisted in bothering her, possibly the only stumbling block she could see in her career. 

Sometimes late at night in her apartment, when she had turned off the lights but was still wide awake in bed, she wondered what might have happened if Nick hadn’t ended up as her partner. A romantic relationship would have been nearly inevitable, her love for him finally prevailing despite the numerous obstacles lurking between them. She sighed. The bunny knew she loved him dearly, as much she was sure he loved her back. But she understood how much of a grudge her family held against foxes, especially her grandpa, one of those old-times who would gladly use his pitchfork to spear through Nick if he ever found out he was dating his granddaughter. 

And there was more, apart from the old-fashioned taboo of predator-prey relationships. There was an incident that scarred her, an experience that actually wavered the slight temptation of going out with him. Yes, she knew what Claw had said to him earlier. But she still wasn’t sure. Judy clearly understood the consequences of having a romantic companion as a partner in the ZPD…..she had witnessed many of them breaking up over time, being fired from the institution as they concentrated more on their private lives than on their work. As much as she loved him, she knew..she knew the Judy Hopps deep inside her heart would hate to see herself being fired from the police. 

She was afraid to be together with him, not as friends, but as a couple. Judy worried about their future, for what might happen if they really joined together romantically. 

“Uhhh, Carrots?” Nick asked her anxiously, “I think we are lost?” 

For the past half hour he had been in charge of navigating, pouring into the ancient map made 50 years ago, already the most modern of all the maps of the area they could find. The region must have been neglected for a long time. 

“Nonsense, Wilde.” her determination still going strong, her paws grasping the wheel even harder, “We are nearly there.” 

“No, look.” he learned across her and pointed out of the window. “There’s a body of water, and we’re nowhere near the sea.” 

Judy squinted her eyes and tried to make it out in the distant fog. And it was true, she could see the water rippling, remnants of the late afternoon sun glimmering off its surface. 

“We’ve been driving around in circles.” she complained as the car drove off the motorway, skidding across the portholes and uneven land, spraying out mud and soil from under the wheels. 

“Whoa! Slow down, Carrots!” Nick yelped as his head hit the ceiling of the car, “You’re off the motorway! This isn’t even a road!” 

Judy had driven the car to a strip of land next to the body of water, staring into the endless horizon of the muddy lake, stretching on and on as far as her eye could see. Where were they? 

She double-checked the map. If the ancient map was accurate, then they were supposed to be driving past an industrial town marked “Gopherville District 1.” She could see no lake, or sea for that matter nearby. 

But something else caught her eye. There was a reservoir and a damn a dozen miles away from the town. Were they somehow driving extremely close to it? But no---the map had to be correct. There was no highway marked near the reservoir. She was looking at the remains of the town...or whatever was left of it. 

What had even happened there? Why was there water covering this medium-sized town? Several dark thoughts from the back of her mind emerged, but she refused to dwell on them. 

Something wasn’t right here. 

Puzzled, she brought the car back onto the motorway, the sun already setting in the distance. She sighed and decided to stop kidding herself---they were nowhere near their destination. The bunny dreaded the possibility of having to park the car somewhere in the middle of nowhere. 

Next to her, the fox could sense her radiating discomfort. She was fidgeting in her seat, the determination in her eyes no longer burning as strong as before. He, too, felt insecure sleeping in the wilderness. Perhaps they should set up a guard system, a rotation that started at midnight and continued till dawn, with him and Judy taking turns to sleep. He only hoped she would trust him looking after her sleeping self. 

After a few more miles in the stuffy vehicle he began to feel dozy, his eyelids growing heavier as the mundane trip continued without end. He was about to fall unconscious when suddenly he noticed something just within his sight, lying next to the dilapidated road. 

It was a huge chain-link fence, stretching on and on as if it were protecting a facility not intended for the public to find out---then it struck him that it probably was. But what did this institution have to hide? Nick could already read the government like a book back in his con days. But maybe, just maybe, this structure out in the wilderness had slipped past his eyes. 

From the distance Nick could already make out the stains of rust that covered the wire mesh, the electricity that once ran through the barbed while long since disconnected. Every few yards or so the fox could notice several huge billboards, the words on them large but fading. They were signs warning civilians not to approach. 

“Judy, stop the car.”

“What?” 

“STOP IT! PLEASE!” 

The vehicle jolted to a halt, the silence of the countryside unnerving to her sensitive ears. 

“Nick, what’s going on?” 

“Shh…” he whispered as he pushed open the car doors, the sinister fog creeping into the compartment. 

Gingerly, he crept over to the fence as Judy watched over him at a distance. Something about the way he was acting was creeping her out. What the hell was wrong with the fox? 

Nick crouched next to the fence and took out his binoculars. There were no buildings nearby, only a few items of trash that could have belonged to the last century. Squinting his eyes, he cautiously scanned the whole area. There had to be something tucked away in the midst, concealed and never meant to be located. He felt his curiosity tingle him, his old eccentricity fill his veins once more. 

He could make something out far, far away within the perimeter of the fence, tiny and distant, dark and mysterious. For a split moment he thought he could make out movement, the dark silhouettes of vehicles driving around. But he wasn't completely sure. He was considering taking out his wire cutters when the blaring horn of the vehicle interrupted his thoughts. 

“What WAS that?” Judy demanded as Nick climbed back into the cruiser. 

“There’s something in there….we gotta check it out.”

“You confirm? This doesn’t seem like a usual place to me.” 

Nick nodded, “I bet the Creators are inside---it has to be some sort of factory.” 

“Alright, we’ll check it out tomorrow.” she rolled her eyes in reluctance.

“Do it now.” the adrenaline inside him pumped faster and faster.

Judy sighed, “I admit, I’m a terrible driver---it took us all day just to get here. Look, it’s getting dark. You really sure you wanna be wandering there out of the car on foot after sunset?” 

“Aye-aye, Sergeant.” Nick laughed as he got out and slammed the car door behind him. “Let’s call it quits for today.” 

“Let’s just find a place to hide this thing” Judy said as she, too, climbed out of the cruiser and leaned against the hood, “I’m not sure we should let the Creators find out about us.” 

“Great. You trust me about that factory thing.” 

“Of course I do. Why would you even lie to me? She leaned across the engine and smiled at the fox, their faces bathed in the sunset light. 

“Thanks...I mean, the stuff we’ve done all over the years…” 

“Heh,” Judy laughed, “Those Wild Times are still here .” 

The duo fell silent for a while, enchanted by the beautiful scenery of the sun setting in the horizon. The light was fading steadily now, the sky behind them already concealed by the comfortable purpleness of twilight.

It's so beautiful, Judy thought, yet nobody ever glances up to notice. 

“Hey,” Nick asked, breaking the silence, “Have you ever wondered if there are other mammals glancing up at the sunset like us?” 

“Of course!” Judy answered, “Sunsets used to be a huge thing on the farm. I miss those days.” 

Nick chuckled a bit. “No, Judy. I meant out there.” he jerked his thumb in the direction of the distant border, even further away than the Creator’s HQ. 

“The Outside?” she questioned puzzledly, “Are there even mammals out there?” 

“Sometimes I like to think there are.” his eyes were still locked on the sun, the moor stretching on forever to the place where the sky touched the earth….Nick knew it was only an illusion, of course. One could travel for days and never reach the place where the sky and the land connected. 

“I guess. We can’t be the only city on Earth, can we?” 

Nick nodded but didn’t reply. Judy, too grew silent. Just talking about the Outside was enough to raise the devil’s temptation within their hearts. 

But one had to be careful to conceal it. 

Night soon fell, the sky above their heads stained black by the darkness of night. They hid their cruiser somewhere off the road, Nick breaking off some branches to act as primitive camouflage. 

With everything set, under the illumination of the blinding headlamps they spread out a tablecloth and prepared a small picnic. It was Judy who had brought the food, packing everything from salads to canned soup.

Gosh, Nick thought, one can never tell if we’re going on a recon mission or a camping trip. 

But his empty stomach convinced him to sit down and tuck into the food, his body fatigued from the long hours of driving. He stretched his legs and sat down next to Judy, who was already spreading the vegetables on the bread. 

“Sup, Nick?” she greeted as he made his way from the cruiser, “Wanna get a bite to eat?” 

“Only vegetables?” 

“Nah...how could I ever forget about the scary predator who eats MEAT every meal?” she joked as she tossed him a bag of dried insects, “Put these between your bread, dumb fox.”

Nick sighed in relief. 

“Uhh, Judy?” Nick tapped her on the shoulder. He had been thinking a lot in the car. Now was probably the best time to make his move. He only hoped that his courage he had mustered wouldn’t fail him at the last moment. 

“Hmm?” she grunted, still chewing on the food. 

“Uhh,” Nick scratched his collar, feeling increasingly nervous. Why was it suddenly so hot and stuffy in his uniform? “I’m..I’ve got a ton of time to spend on Sunday. I’m just wondering...thinking if you’re available as well. Perhaps...I may have the pleasure of accompanying you to a nice dinner?” 

Judy laughed, “We’re already eating together Nick!” 

Smart evasion tactic. Take 2 . 

“How about a movie? I’m sure there are some excellent ones showing back in town.” he chuckled worriedly. Would she shoot him down this time? 

“Mhhmm…” she thought really deeply. She wasn’t even sure how to answer him. Was it time to put away her fears and embrace his company? She knew how greatly he’d be hurt if she rejected him now. 

“Y’know…” he tried to smile, “on a...on a…” 

“On a date?” Judy finished the sentence for him. 

She had to make a decision. Fast. 

“Yeah...I...I just hope you can go out with me, I’d love to enjoy your company...you know.” 

STOP TALKING! Nick screamt at himself inside. YOU'RE RUINING YOUR CHANCES! 

Judy smiled and turned to face her partner, her face more beautiful to Nick than the setting sun he had just seen. 

“Why not?” 

Judy laughed on the inside as she saw the fox smile in relief. 

“We can do friend’s stuff all night. We are friends after all, aren’t we?”

 

One wondered if she felt differently in her heart.


End file.
